Social Security
Rising Disability Rolls Raise Questions That Must Be Answered Gao ID: T-HRD-93-15 April 22, 1993In April 1993, trustees of the Social Security Disability Insurance Trust Fund reported that the fund could be exhausted by 1995, mainly because the number of beneficiaries has grown faster than expected. To keep the fund solvent through 2020, the trustees have proposed legislation that would give the fund a larger share of the Social Security payroll tax. This testimony discusses (1) the major factors contributing to the rapid increase in beneficiaries; (2) the changing composition of the disability insurance rolls; and (3) the uncertainty about whether recent trends will continue, level off, or reverse themselves.