Business Columnists

Disability Benefits Are Not Welfare

Disability Benefits Are Not Welfare
People line up outside of the Social Security Administration office in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 2, 2005. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Tom Margenau
|Updated:

It never ceases to amaze me how millions of misinformed Americans think that Social Security disability benefits are some form of welfare. They think Congress tacked on the program to the original Social Security Act as a kind of afterthought to provide benefits to the poor and indigent. (And the really nasty naysayers out there think it is a program specifically designed for cheaters and deadbeats.)

Even people who get a monthly Social Security disability check are confused. I constantly hear from them with questions similar to this one, which was in my inbox this morning: “I am getting Social Security disability benefits. I just won $5,000 from our state lottery. Will I lose my disability check?” Quick answer: Of course you won’t lose your benefits. Let me repeat: Social Security disability is not welfare!

Tom Margenau
Tom Margenau
Author
Tom Margenau worked for 32 years in a variety of positions for the Social Security Administration before retiring in 2005. He has served as the director of SSA’s public information office, the chief editor of more than 100 SSA publications, a deputy press officer and spokesman, and a speechwriter for the commissioner of Social Security. For 12 years, he also wrote Social Security columns for local newspapers, and recently published the book “Social Security: Simple and Smart.” If you have a Social Security question, contact him at [email protected]
Related Topics