Social Security Rumors Don’t Pass the ‘Look, Sound, and Quack’ Test

Tom Margenau shares his point of view about some comments he has received or heard about social security. (fizkes/Shutterstock)

I’m sure you’ve heard that old saying that goes something like this: “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck—it’s a duck!”

Well, I offer you another version of that old chestnut. And it goes like this: “If it looks like a crazy Social Security rumor, sounds like a crazy Social Security rumor, and quacks like a crazy Social Security rumor—it’s a crazy Social Security rumor!”

Almost every day, people send me emails in which they regurgitate some wacky rumor or myth they’ve heard or read about Social Security. For example, today I got an email from a woman who was complaining about the fact that she was turned down for Social Security disability benefits—not because she wasn’t disabled, but because she didn’t meet the requirement that says she must have worked and paid Social Security taxes in five out of the past 10 years. (That “five out of 10” rule applies only to disability benefits, not retirement benefits.)

After I explained this rule to her, she wrote back and said, “If that’s the case, then how come people who sneak into the country illegally and never work are getting Social Security disability benefits?”

And in another email I got, also about the disability program, a guy complained that his claim was denied. But he said he expected that because he heard that “all disability claims are automatically denied the first time around.”

Both of those rumors don’t pass my “look, sound, and quack” test. In other words, they look like crazy rumors, sound like crazy rumors, and quack like crazy rumors. So guess what? They are crazy rumors!

In the first case, no one who hasn’t worked and paid Social Security taxes is getting Social Security disability benefits or any Social Security benefit for that matter—on their own account. I had to add that caveat because there are people getting Social Security who may not have worked and paid into the system. A good example of that is a woman who never worked outside the home and now collects spousal benefits on her husband’s record. But of course, her husband did work and pay Social Security taxes.

And another caveat. There are certainly some people getting Supplemental Security Income disability benefits who may not have ever worked and paid Social Security taxes. But SSI is a federal welfare program managed by the Social Security Administration, and SSI is not a Social Security benefit and is not paid for out of Social Security taxes. Still, many people confuse the SSI program with Social Security.

Having added those caveats, I can certainly say that no one who entered this country without proper documentation is getting disability or any other benefits from Social Security.

In the second case, it’s just a flat-out lie that “all disability claims are automatically denied the first time around.” In fact, about 35 percent of first-time claims are approved. (That number is lower than might be expected because lots of people file for Social Security disability benefits out of desperation—usually meaning they are just unemployed but not disabled—and figure it can’t hurt to file for Social Security disability because they are out of work.)

These are just two of maybe thousands of Social Security rumors that are out there floating around—mostly on the internet—that don’t pass the “look, sound, and quack” test. I’ve always joked that I could write a book called something like “The Top 1,000 Social Security Myths.” But that missive would be unwieldy and as thick as the Encyclopedia Britannica!

So instead, I have written a book called “Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts.” You can get a hard copy of the book for less than 10 bucks at Amazon.com. You can get an electronic version of the book at Barnes and Noble and other online booksellers. The book is divided into two broad sections: political and policy myths, and program and practical myths.

Here is just a sampling of the politically oriented myths that I take on in the first part of the book:

• Social Security is going broke. (Hint: The program has fiscal problems that are fixable, and those reforms will keep the system from going belly-up.)
• Social Security is a Ponzi scheme.
• The government has stolen Social Security money and used it for other purposes.
• Illegal immigrants get Social Security benefits.

The second half of the book deals with program myths and is further subdivided into sections clearing up myths about retirement benefits, spousal and widow’s benefits, benefits for children, disability benefits, and Supplemental Security Income payments. There is also a small section on Medicare myths—although, as I always point out to my readers, I am a Social Security expert but not much of a Medicare expert.

Here is a sampling of the myths covered in the program and policy part of the book:

• My retirement benefit is based on my highest three years of earnings (or last five, or highest 10—just pick your number).
• If I stop working, or work part-time, before I start my Social Security, I will be messing up my future Social Security check.
• There are secret or hidden rules about Social Security.
• I can take reduced benefits from my spouse and later switch to full benefits on my own record.
• All disability claims are denied the first time around.
• Children can only get benefits from a deceased parent’s Social Security record.

My faithful readers will know that I have written another book about Social Security. It’s called “Social Security—Simple and Smart: 10 Easy-to-Understand Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security.” While there is bound to be some overlap in topics covered in any two books about Social Security, there are important differences between my two books.

I recommend you read the “Simple and Smart” book if you are looking for a practical guide to how Social Security works, with important information about how and when to file for various kinds of Social Security benefits. And it has tips for dealing with issues that crop up once your benefits start.

And you should read the “Myths/Facts” book if you are sick and tired of hearing and seeing all the Social Security mumbo-jumbo that just doesn’t pass the “look, sound, and quack” test.