Celebrating 60 Years of Social Security Disability Insurance

When President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act in 1935, he saw it as an innovative way to provide economic security for American workers. His advisers also envisioned disability insurance as part of the program, but it was 20 years later when it became a reality. On August 1, 1956, 60 years ago, the Social Security Amendments of 1956 established disability insurance as part of Social Security. In the years since then, the disability program has adapted to keep pace with our changing world. For 60 years, Social Security has protected workers and their families in the event of a severe disability. The disability program provides a critical lifeline to workers and families who lose their income due to the onset of severe, long-term disabilities. Today, about 9 million disabled workers and two million of their dependents receive disability benefits from Social Security. To learn about how Social Security benefits the disability community, visit Faces and Facts of Disability.

David Wingate is an elder law attorney at the Elder Law Office of David Wingate, LLC. The elder law office services clients with powers of attorneys, living wills, Wills, Trusts, Medicaid and asset protection. The Elder Law office has locations in Frederick and Montgomery Counties, Maryland.