Despite their differences, Republicans and Democrats in Congress have started working together in an effort to save the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) fund from going under next year. The president wants to shift money from Social Security retirement funds to avert a huge shortfall in the disability insurance program. That plan was initially met with resistance from Republicans, but with next year’s deadline looming, it appears that a compromise may now be in the works. The SSDI program remains solvent for the moment, so if you need to receive SSDI payments in the Los Angeles area, contact an experienced Los Angeles Social Security disability lawyer immediately.
Social Security Disability Insurance is a lifesaver for millions of disabled Americans. It’s likely that a compromise will be achieved because neither party wants the blame if disabled Americans fail to receive benefits and start going hungry or homeless. Representative Sam Johnson, a Republican from Texas, said at a Congressional hearing in February that Republicans are committed to keeping the SSDI fund solvent and to protecting disabled Americans from the threat of a twenty percent reduction in benefits – a cut that will happen next year unless Democrats and Republicans can work together.
Currently, employers and their workers each pay a total of 6.2 percent of their wages to Social Security – 0.9 percent is allocated to SSDI and 5.3 percent to OASI (Old-Age and Survivors Insurance). The Obama plan would reallocate a few tenths of a percentage point of payroll tax revenue from the OASI fund to the SSDI fund, so that both trust funds will stay solvent through 2033.
If you are disabled in southern California, working with a good disability lawyer raises the likelihood that you will be awarded SSDI benefits. If you are applying for the first time, if you’ve been denied benefits, or if you simply need more details, contact an experienced Los Angeles Social Security disability lawyer as quickly as possible.