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Social Security: Rising Disability Rolls Raise Questions That Must Be Answered

T-HRD-93-15 Published: Apr 22, 1993. Publicly Released: Apr 22, 1993.
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Highlights

GAO discussed the status of the Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund. GAO noted that: (1) the rate at which insured persons apply for benefits has grown since 1989, and almost half of DI applicants receive benefits; (2) the program has evolved so that new beneficiaries are younger, suffer from mental impairments and receive Supplemental Security Income to supplement their DI benefits; (3) both GAO and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can identify changes occuring in the DI program; and (4) without quantifiable factors and data, GAO and HHS are unable to predict whether the increase in awards will continue, level off, or reverse itself.

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BeneficiariesDisability insuranceDisadvantaged personsFederal social security programsIncome maintenance programsMental illnessesPeople with disabilitiesTrust fundsSupplemental security incomeDisability benefits