The New Normal 'Safety Net': Surging Disability Benefits Claims
If you’ve paid into Social Security, become injured or sick, and can no longer earn more than $1,130 a month, you can get a monthly subsidy from the Disability Insurance Trust Fund. As Bloomberg notes, in 1990 fewer than 2.5% of working-age Americans were "on the check;" by 2015 the number stood at 5.2%, with geographical "disability belts" appearing across America.
Something changed in 2000...