The Overall Effects of Diabetes

By Scott B. Elkind, Esq.

Elkind & Shea, The Disability Benefits Law Firm

. http://www.disabilitybenefitslawfirm.com/

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The Overall Effects of Diabetes

Disability has a profound effect on an affected individual. But, the effects of disability are even greater when you consider the entire general population.
Disability rates are much higher than most people think. Despite safety improvements making work less dangerous and improvements in health care, overall disability rates in the United States have fallen very little in recent decades. In fact, the statistics are rather daunting when you consider the following facts
The chance of a person experiencing at least one period of disability prior to reaching retirement age is 72%.
In the year 2000, 20.9 million families (28.9% of all families) had at least one disabled member.
12.8% of families with disabled members are living in poverty whereas only 7.7% of families without disabled members were similarly affected.
In June 2006, 11.2 million individuals were receiving disability benefits from the Social Security Administration.
Of those persons becoming disabled, over 50% experienced a condition which lasted more than three years.
Over the course of a lifetime, a person reaching the age of 60 has a 54% chance of becoming disabled at least once during his working years and nearly a 40% chance of experiencing chronic disability.
Ten years after the onset of disability, people with chronic and severe disabling conditions experience a 61% earnings reduction and overall income reduction in the amount of 46%.
Chronic disabled persons will suffer increasing rates of earning decline, culminating in a 43% reduction in earnings by the eighth year of disability.
In the year 2005, $85.4 billion was spent on disability insurance (SSD) benefits with an additional $34.4 billion on Supplemental Security Income benefits.
The SSD rate of recipiency is expected to rise another 71% before reaching a steady state of approximately 7% of all non-elderly adults.
Overall findings reveal that the greater the disability a person suffers, the greater the effect on his or her life.
As most disabled people discover, society treats them rather poorly. This goes past the social stigma involved, which can be devastating, particularly in most cases where the disability is not readily visible to observers. Further, there is a distinct resentment of those who are believed to be “trying to get over on the system” when making a claim for disability benefits. The truth is, that in spite of the various available governmental disability programs, nearly one-fifth of disabled persons live below the poverty line.
If these statistics are alarming to you, then you need to take action. It is a very sad state of affairs when acquiring disability benefits from either SSA or a private insurer has become such an incredible ordeal. The statistics are profound and foreboding. It is very obvious that the government and insurers alike are ill-prepared to meet the burdens of their obligations. With increased longevity and decreased mortality there has been increased disability which, from the grim statistics cited, is only going to increase and remain. There is no alternative but to prepare for what will become a crushing societal burden. Greater delay and/or denial of disability benefits is inevitable to preserve what is left of either public funds or insurers profits.