Perhaps I misunderstood your statement, but the truth is that the top 10% of income earners in this country pays almost 50% of all income taxes collected.

So when we think of where our disability benefit monies come from, we should remember the aforementioned statement and the following...

Part of the money paid in income taxes goes to fund the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. SSI is a disability program for the very low income individuals. The disability monies granted by this program are not earned through work. Instead, they are given out based upon economic need. Because this welfare program is: (1) viewed as a “handout” by some (2) funded directly by income tax and (3) effectively paid to non-workers by those currently working, SSA is generally very strict about the monetary eligibility requirements. Therefore, any income or assets you have are extremely important in determining your eligibility for this program.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a disability program for long-time workers who have contributed OASDI/FICA taxes for a significant period of time. Therefore, the disability benefits granted by this program are earned through work. You can think of it as a disability insurance policy which the federal government forced you to buy. Because SSDI is something you effectively bought through your labor as an insurance policy, it does not matter what assets or non-earned income you receive.

Both programs are administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), but I feel confident stating that the middle class and lower class are not the ones paying for it all.