There are many people in Ohio and around the nation who face the pain, economic hardship and social stigma of being considered disabled. This could be due to a physical disease or injury or a mental health issue that interferes with their ability to interact with others or get through an average day.
Because these conditions can make it difficult to gain and hold employment, disabled individuals often face the prospect of not having enough income to support themselves. Luckily, there are government benefits that are intended to help ease the burden on these people. The federal Social Security Disability Insurance program is one such benefit that can help those with disabilities make ends meet. Unfortunately, as has been widely reported, for various reasons, the disability trust fund that pays for these benefits faces some solvency problems due to less income and more payouts.
Adding to the pressure facing the SSDI program is the fact that, sometimes, people attempt to take advantage of the system. Recently a woman in Akron has been indicted by a federal grand jury for making false statements on applications for disability benefits. The 49-year-old former postal worker is accused of giving the false information in connection with her application for disability in 2012 and 2013. Apparently it was the post office’s Inspector General’s Office that pursued the investigation into the case.
It is important to note that the woman has not been convicted of doing anything wrong as yet. Further, there is no evidence that false claims are a widespread problem or a significant factor in the disability trust funds financial woes. However, anytime someone knowingly lies to attempt to receive benefits, he or she is doing a disservice to the many deserving Americans who rely on the Social Security Disability system to help them maintain a decent quality of life.
Source: ohio.com “Akron woman accused of making false statements to get federal disability payments,”