Just when you think that the federal government could not be more moronic in the spending of money, you read a story like this. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has been approving disability benefits for hundreds of Puerto Ricans because they do not speak English. However, these “disabled” individuals are living in a predominantly Spanish-speaking territory. Having worked for the Puerto Rico House of Representatives years ago, the story seemed to me a belated April Fool’s joke but it appears to be true.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the SSA was misapplying a rule that is intended to provide financial assistance to individuals who are illiterate or cannot speak English in the United States. Under the rules, Puerto Ricans are allowed to receive disability benefits for their inability to speak English as well. I am not sure of the basis for the original rule as a form of disability, but speaking Spanish in Puerto Rico should have been obvious to anyone as not a disability — even in the often twisted logic of bureaucrats. However, the SSA decided that a person applying for disability in Puerto Rico who cannot speak English “may increase his/her likelihood of receiving disability benefits.” What is equally bizarre is that the agency does not even keep track of how many beneficiaries who receive disability insurance for not being able to speak English.
The OIG located 218 such cases of Puerto Ricans were awarded disability due to “an inability to communicate in English.” This included hearings where people were asked to speak, read, write, and understand English. (That itself would appear a curious hearing since the person needs only fail to respond to English and not read or write in English to presumably show this particular “disability.”).
Once again, however, there is no indication that anyone will be fired or disciplined in any way for this waste of money.
To be clear, it’s not considered a disability in itself to not speak English, but the disability applicant is given preference over English speakers and even educated applicants, as it is thought that they have a more difficulty finding sedentary work. So if you are an uneducated non English speaking disability applicant, you are given preference over English speaking, more educated disability applicants.
Communist China provides NO welfare, food stamps, affirmative action, social services, forced busing, day-care/utility subsidies, etc. There is no income tax or property tax. There is “consumption tax” only. People pay for their own school, school lunch and healthcare. People who “fall through the cracks,” rely on family. China has a “one-child” birth policy. Corruption brings the death penalty in the worst cases.
Thomas – my healthcare was always part perq, part mine so basically it was part of my salary. Following is a Swedish breakdown of the current Chinese medical system.
http://www.tillvaxtanalys.se/download/18.5f097bc113eacc3d6d513e/1369033621751/direct_response_2013_03.pdf
This is happening in Miami too. People being given favorable decisions on disability applications, deciding factor being inability to speak English. Many thousands of people who are legitimately disabled are being put on waiting lists for hearings in front of an ALJ for two years or more. And some do die waiting for their hearing, it’s very sad that legitimately disabled people who speak English, or even because they have a higher level of education are being penalized for it.
They don’t pay taxes?
How is that constitutional?
I will begin by saying NO ONE should be receiving disability payments because they don’t speak English. I don’t care where in the US they live. This is really ridiculous.
randyjet – So sorry for what your wife went through. There are also vets who struggle for years to get diagnosed and get disability for injuries they suffered in the war. Many are told they don’t qualify.
Illegal aliens are treated so much better than legal immigrants or citizens. It’s a slap in the face to those of us who follow the law.
josephpiazza, That is one of the best, first hand accounts, I have read here in awhile. Comment more often from the front lines.
This is in contrast to my wife who could not get disability when she had cancer, and survived it and the treatment, which unfortunately DID disable her. She has enough disabilities to fill a book, yet she was denied disability. This office in Houston generated so many complaints from lawyers who were having clients DIE before they were awarded disability that they started to investigate. She still has not been allowed her disability. A friend of ours is legitimately disabled, and she will be going through the process, and she is Hispanic, so I will pass along this tip so that it will enhance her chances when she applies. She can just speak Spanish and that should do it.
DBQ, There will be a backlash.
Things like this gives fiscal conservatives like me fits.
Disregard the whole Spanish is the native language of Puerto Rico aspect for a moment. If this was the continental US, WHY would not speaking English be classified a “disability,” unless someone had a traumatic brain injury to the language center of the brain? Other than that, why would not taking English classes be a “disability?” Because maybe they should be handing out checks for mathematical “disability” to the SSA!
The Liberal tax-and-spend philosophy is outrageous. The radio was blowing up yesterday discussing the latest raft of bills in CA, one of which gives free health care specifically for illegal aliens. In fact, there are many benefits that illegal aliens enjoy that legal citizens do not. And people still sincerely wonder why there is yet another surge of unaccompanied kids at the TX border.
During the same one hour program which discussed Governor Jerry Brown’s mandatory 25% water use reductions for residents, we keep flooding the state with new immigrants that can’t be bothered to go through the system like people all around the world manage to do, and then we give them more benefits that we can’t afford. Perhaps Gov Brown will actually block this bill, because many agree that Obamacare drove the cost of health insurance up too much already. The middle class just can’t afford it. And to dump another 1.5 million people into the systems and onto our backs will break the state. And how are we supposed to reduce our water usage if our population increases by massive leaps and bounds each year by people breaking the law? They are installing meters and even capping private wells here in rural areas, destroying small family farms, and yet they turn a blind eye to all the people hopping the fence. If I tried this in Mexico, immigrating illegally, they wouldn’t give me free health care and a scholarship. They’d throw me in jail and then deport me.
Honestly, did politicians fail algebra? Or do they just care about the votes they’ll get “for the next 40 years?” And, oh yes, illegal aliens do vote. Here in CA it’s a common problem. We’ve had news reporters go door to door and had illegal aliens admit on camera that they voted, but had no idea they weren’t supposed to. Any attempts to purge voter rolls of illegal aliens is blocked as racist. It’s also not typically prosecuted. It’s just what happens in CA, and why Liberal politicians openly court their votes.
http://www.capoliticalreview.com/capoliticalnewsandviews/worst-bill-of-the-week-sb-4-free-health-care-for-illegal-aliens/
SSI and Disability has been opened up to all by this Administration. There have been sporadic reporting on it. There was also reporting on this Administration doing Spanish soap operas on radio, guilt tripping Hispanics for not getting food stamps. When those radio ads were exposed they stopped. Obama said he was going to be transformational like Reagan. The man spoke the truth.
Liberals just buying more votes.
DBQ, – “We are so well and truly screwed as a country.”
I second your thoughts.
Also, am I reading this right that not speaking English is a disability in the US too? If so, God that’s insane.
This, and not paying taxes, is why Puerto Rico does not want to become a state.
Is’nt the legal definition of a disability, and one generally used by the SS dept, one of permanent impairment that will not allow you to get ANY employment.?
Why… Yes it is!!!!. http://www.ssa.gov/planners/disability/dqualify4.html
The definition of disability under Social Security is different than other programs. Social Security pays only for total disability. No benefits are payable for partial disability or for short-term disability.
“Disability” under Social Security is based on your inability to work. We consider you disabled under Social Security rules if:
You cannot do work that you did before;
We decide that you cannot adjust to other work because of your medical condition(s); and
Your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death.
So…..are we to assume that the Puerto Ricans are so mentally impaired that they cannot possibly learn to speak English?
Not speaking English is a medical condition????
Can we assume that there are NO jobs available that don’t require speaking English?.
Are there NO jobs in areas where people also speak Spanish?
If it weren’t so ridiculous you might think this was an ONION story. Read it and weep. It is true.
It is just another bribe and give away of the funds that were PROMISED to those who have worked all their lives.
Note to self……more ammo.
And we wonder why the Social Security system is going broke???
People want to blame it on seniors who worked for 50+ years, paid in and now have the temerity to want to draw upon the funds that they were FORCED to pay in. Sure. Blame it on the nasty old people.
But…the real reason is the government using the SS fund as a candy jar for illegals, disability scammers and other fraudulent abuses.
If I had the money that I paid in over my lifetime plus the money my employers were forced to contribute and had put that into a measly compounding 3% fund I would have over a million dollars in my hands right now. If I had been able to invest those funds in a more realistic manner I would be a multi millionaire. My husband would also be a millionaire (well, except I bet he wouldn’t have invested as wisely as I 😀 )
Instead. The candy jar is being emptied to encourage more and more and more illegals to enter the country and to encourage more and more people to be slugs and a drain on the economy.
We are so well and truly screwed as a country.
But will payments stop? How long will it take?
Unfortunately, working with children living in poor neighborhoods, I see abuses of SSI all of the time. The primary disabilities are not as ludacris as this, however, the lack of oversight and the complicit doctors allow for literally hundreds of millions of dollars each year to be sent to families not actually needing disability payments. The unfortunate result, if I may, is that there is less money then to fully fund families that have extreme living expenses due to the actual disability of a family members (e.g. a parent with ALS), there is less money to fully fund Social Security payments to the elderly, and less money to devote to children who live in foster care.
I realize that there may not be a direct funding line between my last two examples, but I see it as taxpayer fatigue. As taxpayers pay for the ridiculous, they are less likely to willingly pay for the reasonable. They don’t trust, therefore, they resist the approval of taxes for important community needs.
OK, so I live in Florida, can I get disability payments cuz I can’t speak Spanish? I don’t see why not. I miss out on a lot of stuff when we go to Miami. I am culturally compromised and therefore targeted by a biased system……..