Unfit for Work – The startling rise of disability in America

I am a 100% P&T disabled veteran - I have handicapped parking and all of that.

I could sit here and list out all the medical and legally accepted reasons that the Veterans Administration, and as a result all other regulatory bodies, give me this status (epilepsy, constantly dislocating shoulders, hip arthritis, tinnitus, PTSD etc...)

However I have friends, colleagues and neighbors who are measurably less physically and mentally capable but are not considered disabled.

When I look at the job market, MOST people are not capable of doing their individual life without significant training, help, direction or supervision. People call this bad-state "adulting" and find it onerous.

Said another way, the vast majority of people do not have the cognitive ability, education (self taught or formal), or experience to set goals, take actions and self improve without significant direction from someone else. I personally consider that disabled.

So if these people are considering themselves disabled, then they are probably right - they are incapable of being independent or living within a community that takes care of them. So the only remaining community left is the abstracted transactional monetary system implemented by governments to allocate resources toward them provided they check the right boxes.

Ideally 100% of humanity would be on disability - because we can build systems measurably more capable than human labor - someone just needs to rebrand it as "UBI."

This article is nearly 15 years old (2013). According to center on budget and policy priorities, the number of SSDI beneficiaries has fallen from is peak in 2014. So this article was written about a trend that peaked a year after its publication and had reversed over the past 15 years. Odd that it would be reposted today.

https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/social-securit...

It’s not obvious, but I’m pretty sure this is from 2013 (I remember hearing it when it aired).

> Fewer than 1 percent of those who were on the federal program for disabled workers at the beginning of 2011 have returned to the workforce since then, one economist told me.

Do they lose their "disabled" status if they go back to work? If so, that seems like a textbook poverty trap. Why risk losing lifetime free money for a minimum wage job that might not last?

It’s unfortunate that we can’t seriously consider universal basic income in the United States. If we provided every adult citizen with $13K annually during their working years, it could offer support to those unable to find meaningful employment without forcing them to declare themselves disabled just to survive. That label can take a real toll on a person’s psyche and limit their belief in their ability to grow or find better opportunities. We also have to be realistic and realize AI is positioned to replace a significant number of jobs in the next decade. A safety net like UBI will only become more essential moving forward.

I'll never forget the run-in I had with this corner of the labor market:

Back about 15 years ago I was running a small business in the auto industry. A guy who did deliveries for us (entire job: driving cars to people) who was in his early 20s found himself in a very minor fender-bender -- he rear-ended someone else. He claimed his twisted his ankle from the jolt (based on where he was resting his foot). Fine, no big deal.

He went to see a doctor shortly afterwards and immediately filed for a Worker's Comp claim. He then kept seeing that doctor and within a few weeks was given...permanent disability. Literally got a doctor to say he'd never be able to work again. Full sign-off. He of course was seen walking around just fine a few months later.

Absolute insanity.

This grossly understates the current 2025 financial impact of the problem, and is directly linked to the ~$36 trillion debt.

There is a target to reduce Medicaid recipients by 4.8 million by 2033, by requiring them to attend school or volunteer 80 hours per month. That's a lot.

https://www.nola.com/news/politics/impact-on-louisiana-of-me...

In the next four years, nearly every state that has huge Medicaid obligations will be forced to restrict and reduce access simply due to budget constraints.

For example, California has 6.6 million enrolled in Medicaid and requires a staggering $85 billion federal assistance annual infusion for Medicaid. "People with disabilities composed 8% of Medi-Cal enrollees and accounted for 31% of spending".

California has 49% of the population on employer-provided health insurance. Only 5% purchase private insurance (Affordable Care Act). However, 22% of Californians are covered by Medicaid. That number is unsustainable, and Governor Newsom is already enacting measures to reduce enrollment and eligibility.

https://calmatters.org/health/2025/05/medicaid-work-requirem...

https://www.chcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MediCalFacts...

https://calmatters.org/health/2025/05/medi-cal-assets-newsom...

Last Week Tonight did a great piece on the negatives of how SSDI disability works in practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq2s7RMRsgs

I thought disability is often the only way for people to get support when there is no other option for welfare.

One thing I've noticed over the past 20 years. At least in the United States, we need less "ditch diggers." This means that those who are less intellectually capable find it harder to get employment in a suitable position. I think this is an issue that needs to be addressed. But you know, I live here and now, so that ain't happening.

"Somewhere around 30 years ago, the economy started changing in some fundamental ways. There are now millions of Americans who do not have the skills or education to make it in this country." Not wrong, and sad.

This article shows what Universal Basic Income looks like on the ground.

Nothing compared to the NDIS rort in Australia. There is literal gang warfare over providing "services" to people with high payouts.