Originally Posted by Janke

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/S...SDIbenies.html

In 1970, there were 2.6 million disabled workers and dependents. By 2000, it had incresed to 6.6 million. By 2011, the number has jumped to 10.6 million. I think the right conclusion would be that there are over 4 times as many people who are getting benefits from a program that was not designed to be able to afford that. And it is not sustainable. One of the hard decisions lawmakers will have to decide in the next decade is how much more to tax the workers sustaining the program; how to keep people who have saved their own or their family's money off the program (make it fully needs based); or reduce the benefits by changing the formula so future beneficiaries get even less based on their contributions.

The disability trust fund (a misnomer) still has, on paper, sufficient surplus to pay current benefits so this is not an issue of the government spending the trust funds. Our country has been running on credit for decades. Social Security disability is just one of many IOU's.