SSI For Deaf, Is It Necessary?
Written by Annie Kwon
SSI stands for Supplemental Security Income, also known as Social Security Income, is an acronym that every aged and disabled people know. When apply for SSI, you have to prove yourself that you are a legal citizen and unable to work due to your age or disability. Once approved, you are eligible to receive a monthly income from the Federal government up to $647 (as of 2009). The SSI comes from the US Treasury general funds which is mainly tax-payers’ money. Being deaf is considered one of the disabilities that people can use to apply for SSI.
Originally, Social Security program was created during the Great Depression to eliminate the poverty, unemployment, old age, and burden of widows, single mothers and war survivors. Even though there were much discrimination against many groups of people (such as women and minorities) from benefits of Social Security at first, the intention was noble. Social Security Act helped people who suddenly became unable to earn money for themselves. SSI gave necessary amount to the people for basic food, shelter and clothes. Over decades, Social Security was evolved many times and branched off into several programs like Disability Insurance, Medicaid or Welfare. Still, the Social Security is still far from perfect.
There has been a long time of discrimination against the Deaf people in the work force which have prevented the deaf people from getting a job. However, the recent events have shown the revolutionaries of Deaf population: they can do anything except hear. With good education and communication resources, the Deaf people can get decent jobs even in the jobs that require ability to hear. As long as I have known about SSI, I detest at people who take advantage of SSI when they are able.
I knew some Deaf students in high school who had SSI because they were deaf. Even though it was not necessary to get a job at underage, they’d get money from the government to help their life styles. At first, I naively thought that their parents weren’t able to provide enough money to support their families or having deaf child(ren) was expensive because of the hearing aids and medical bills to treat deaf. However, the government is already taking care of the medical treatment for the deaf children under age 18 by providing free audiology check-up, hearing aids, cochlear plants, and any deaf related medicine. When they told me what they would do with SSI, I began to have doubts.
First of all, the Deaf students I know who receives SSI actually do have parents who are financially well off, if not earning less money than standard of living cost. Second, they don’t need extra money from the government because their basic necessities are covered. They have food, clothes and house. And third, they have education and they are able to get a job despite being deaf! However, it’s not enough. They know that being deaf is considered a disability under government terms. So they apply for SSI which is easy to do. After wait time and process, ca-ching! They have free money. What they buy with SSI money are luxuries like plane rides, cars, computers, games, and more.
Is it really necessary for Deaf children who are financially well off by their parents to have SSI? It is like stealing money from the people who need it the most who can’t actually earn decent wages. Just because they are deaf, the government overlook their parents’ incomes and resources and that’s okay with tax-payers’ hard earned money? I have several people tell me that I should apply for SSI because I have hearing disability and I could use extra money toward my college education. It was tempting but knowing that I didn’t need it and receiving it would actually hurt other people.
It is not just Deaf people who are getting SSI like that. I heard a story from one person that she knew a family who came from another country and within short time of living in America, they easily got SSI just because they were immigrants. Hearing a story like that sickens me. Lazy people getting SSI is stealing from tax payers who work really hard to earn their money. 10 percent of their wages goes to Social Security program.
What I really want to see that the government need to eliminate Social Security because it doesn’t work anymore. No revision and no changes. Social Security needs to go when it had been poorly handled for the last two decades. There are too many loop holes and millions of people are taking advantage of it. Guess what? We still have the poverty, unemployment, old age, and burden of widows, single mothers and war survivors.
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jackie Stover
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Annie
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Alex
You know that less than to 2% of your tax money probably goes towards SSI right, SSI is not funded by the payroll taxes.
Joe Riley
Disagree with you. People with deafness are impacted in their ability to work and perform as well as other people can on the job, thus their ability to live in independence and make as much income as other people who are not deaf – is effected. SSI takes into account a person’s work earnings and makes deductions based on that person’s earnings.
John McCallum
I’m curious. So SSI need’s to be eliminated. What do you think would happen. Do you believe that it would be like taking away a kids allowance..simple as that right. You make it sound like there’s no benefit to it and that its just a way for shiftless lay abouts to get free cash. Yeah there are people who abuse the system, but you know what its illegal to do that. People go to jail for SSI and welfare fraud. If you truly feel that someones abusing the system report them. Unless of coarse like most Americans you believe the government should just spend more money to investigate every case for fraud so you won’t be bothered.
.Let me Paint a little picture for you. SSI stops in its tracks, One month later you have 3 million adults are now homeless and another 2 million retirees must now find work to save there homes. So now we have lets say 3 million people looking for full time work with less than desirable skills and another 2 million adults moving home to with there senior parents who were also on SSI. Wait I forgot about 1 million people where did they go…Oh yeah there homeless now. Unless of course you’d like to just put em all in state run institution.. but I’m sure you’d prefer the cheaper route an just spend the $0.03 to put a bullet in there head. My point is THINK before you spout of about I pay 10% of my income so people can have free money. No It’s so we have functional society that cares for its citizens.
– I “Challenge” you to find a country that does not have social security and has a high quality of life for all it’s citizens.–
Alex
10% of your income is probably going toward social security which is different from SSI, SSI is not funded by payroll taxes.
Alex
To the author an anecdotal statement is probably not best to be used and is used as a spin to make a point, for example you say “I heard that immigrants got SSI” because of that, unless you are a refugee, or meet a narrow criteria you as an immigrant cannot get SSI. Second, not everyone gets the higher benefit, and yes if your parent supports the recipient they do not get the higher benefit sometimes. Third many posters are confusing SSI for social security, not just you, SSI is not social security and you cannot get any form of social security unless someone has worked,
Ben Engle
I like this post because I seen so many people take advantage off SSI in this day in age. SSI truely makes to good guys come in last. I have some facebook friends who are deaf and while I am working I see posting of my deaf friends doing bonfires, swimming in the lake, summerfest and time or day means nothing to them. I feel too tired to do anything and pissing my time working to support these actions.
tugga
You need to educate yourself before writing an article you know almost nothing about! First of all ssi anyone can get that is not employed you do not have to be disabled to get it. It is WELFARE. SSDI is disability, you have to qualify for this by being disabled. Unable to keep or get employment for at least 12 months due to a disability . As for the deaf not deserving this? A blind person can do everything a healthy person could do just not see. That is just juvenile. As is they can do everything but hear. Duh,
As far as children getting ssi i think it is crap. The gov. pays for their healthcare and they would not be bringing in money if they were not disabled. I agree with you on that. Although if you have ssdi your children get an allowance. Sort of like extra money for having dependants that help you to provide for them. I see no problem with this if the parent is disabled.
factchecker
In order to get SSDI you have to have worked in the past or your parents , hence payroll taxes and since ssi is not funded by payroll taxes, folks get mixed up.
tugga
alot of you are mistaken. SSI is social security in order to apply for this you must go to Social Security and of course this comes out of the money you pay into Social Security. And you NEVER have to work to get SSI!!!!! SSI is WELFARE. These lowlifes collecting SSI are using our retirement by not working and collecting SSI.