2010 OASDI Trustees Report

G. ANALYSIS OF BENEFIT DISBURSEMENTS FROM THE OASI TRUST FUND WITH RESPECT TO DISABLED BENEFICIARIES

(Required by section 201(c) of the Social Security Act)

Effective January 1957, monthly benefits have been payable from the OASI Trust Fund to disabled children aged 18 and over of retired and deceased workers in those cases for which the disability began before age 18. The age before which disability is required to have begun was subsequently changed to age 22. Effective February 1968, reduced monthly benefits have been payable from this trust fund to disabled widows and widowers at ages 50 and over. Effective January 1991, the requirements for the disability of the widow or widower were made less restrictive.

On December 31, 2009, about 969,000 persons were receiving monthly benefits from the OASI Trust Fund because of their disabilities or the disabilities of children. This total includes 27,000 mothers and fathers (wives or husbands under normal retirement age of retired-worker beneficiaries and widows or widowers of deceased insured workers) who met all other qualifying requirements and were receiving unreduced benefits solely because they had disabled-child beneficiaries (or disabled children aged 16 or 17) in their care. Benefits paid from this trust fund to the persons described above totaled $8,592 million in calendar year 2009. Table VI.G1 shows these and similar figures for selected calendar years during 1960-2009, and estimated experience for 2010-19 based on the intermediate set of assumptions.

 

Table VI.G1.—Benefit Disbursements From the OASI Trust Fund
With Respect to Disabled Beneficiaries

[Beneficiaries in thousands; benefit payments in millions]

Calendar year		Disabled beneficiaries, end of year				Amount of benefit paymentsa
		Total	Children  b	Widows- widowers  c		Total	Children b	Widows- widowers  d
Historical data:
	1960	117	117	—		$59	$59	—
	1965	214	214	—		134	134	—
	1970	316	281	36		301	260	$41
	1975	435	376	58		664	560	104
	1980	519	460	59		1,223	1,097	126
	1985	594	547	47		2,072	1,885	187
	1986	614	565	49		2,219	2,022	197
	1987	629	580	49		2,331	2,128	203
	1988	640	591	48		2,518	2,307	211
	1989	651	602	49		2,680	2,459	221
	1990	662	613	49		2,882	2,649	233
	1991	687	627	61		3,179	2,875	304
	1992	715	643	72		3,459	3,079	380
	1993	740	659	81		3,752	3,296	456
	1994	758	671	86		3,973	3,481	492
	1995	772	681	91		4,202	3,672	531
	1996	782	687	94		4,410	3,846	565
	1997	789	693	96		4,646	4,050	596
	1998	797	698	99		4,838	4,210	627
	1999	805	702	102		4,991	4,336	655
	2000	811	707	104		5,203	4,523	680
	2001	817	712	105		5,520	4,802	718
	2002	823	717	106		5,773	5,024	749
	2003	827	722	105		5,950	5,184	764
	2004	828	723	105		6,099	5,316	781
	2005	836	728	108		6,458	5,556	843
	2006	840	732	108		6,741	5,852	885
	2007	851	744	107		7,051	6,181	867
	2008	922	813	109		7,687	6,778	905
	2009	969	857	112		8,592	7,618	971
Estimates under the intermediate assumptions:
	2010	985	871	114		8,825	7,834	986
	2011	1,000	885	115		9,004	8,006	993
	2012	1,014	899	116		9,315	8,293	1,015
	2013	1,028	913	116		9,743	8,688	1,046
	2014	1,041	927	115		10,201	9,121	1,068
	2015	1,053	939	113		10,685	9,580	1,091
	2016	1,063	952	111		11,179	10,058	1,106
	2017	1,072	963	108		11,688	10,552	1,121
	2018	1,080	974	106		12,214	11,064	1,134
	2019	1,089	985	104		12,769	11,593	1,159

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a

Beginning in 1966, includes payments for vocational rehabilitation services.

b

Also includes certain mothers and fathers (see text).

c

In 1984 and later years, only disabled widows and widowers aged 50-59 are included because disabled widows and widowers age 60 and older would be eligible for the same benefit as a nondisabled aged widow or widower; therefore, they are not receiving benefits solely because of a disability.

d

In 1983 and prior years, reflects the offsetting effect of lower benefits payable to disabled widows and widowers who continued to receive benefits after attaining age 60 (62, for disabled widowers, prior to 1973) as compared to the higher nondisabled widow's and widower's benefits that would otherwise be payable. In 1984 and later years, only benefit payments to disabled widows and widowers aged 50-59 are included (see footnote c).

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components.

Total benefit payments from the OASI Trust Fund with respect to disabled beneficiaries are estimated to increase from $8,808 million in calendar year 2010 to $12,741 million in calendar year 2019, based on the intermediate assumptions.

In calendar year 2009, benefit payments (including expenditures for vocational rehabilitation services) with respect to disabled persons from the OASI Trust Fund and from the DI Trust Fund (including payments from the latter fund to all children and spouses of disabled-worker beneficiaries) totaled $127,000 million. Of this amount, $8,592 million or 6.8 percent represented payments from the OASI Trust Fund. These and similar figures for selected calendar years during 1960-2009 and estimates for calendar years 2010-19 are presented in table VI.G2.

 

Table VI.G2.—Benefit Disbursements Under the OASDI Program
With Respect to Disabled Beneficiaries 

[Amounts in millions]

Calendar year		Total a	DI Trust Fund  b	OASI Trust Fund
				Amount  c	Percentage of total
Historical data:
	1960	$627	$568	$59	9.4
	1965	1,707	1,573	134	7.9
	1970	3,386	3,085	301	8.9
	1975	9,169	8,505	664	7.2
	1980	16,738	15,515	1,223	7.3
	1985	20,908	18,836	2,072	9.9
	1990	27,717	24,835	2,882	10.4
	1991	30,877	27,698	3,179	10.3
	1992	34,583	31,124	3,459	10.0
	1993	38,378	34,626	3,752	9.8
	1994	41,730	37,757	3,973	9.5
	1995	45,140	40,937	4,202	9.3
	1996	48,615	44,205	4,410	9.1
	1997	50,358	45,712	4,646	9.2
	1998	53,062	48,224	4,838	9.1
	1999	56,390	51,399	4,991	8.9
	2000	60,204	55,001	5,203	8.6
	2001	65,157	59,637	5,520	8.5
	2002	71,493	65,721	5,773	8.1
	2003	76,902	70,952	5,950	7.7
	2004	84,350	78,251	6,099	7.2
	2005	91,843	85,386	6,458	7.0
	2006	99,186	d  92,446	6,741	6.8
	2007	106,197	e  99,147	7,051	6.6
	2008	114,063	e 106,376	7,687	6.7
	2009	127,000	e 118,407	8,592	6.8
Estimates under the intermediate assumptions:
	2010	$133,884	$125,060	$8,825	6.6
	2011	139,479	130,475	9,004	6.5
	2012	146,482	137,167	9,315	6.4
	2013	152,740	142,997	9,743	6.4
	2014	159,219	149,019	10,201	6.4
	2015	166,283	155,598	10,685	6.4
	2016	173,652	162,473	11,179	6.4
	2017	181,338	169,650	11,688	6.4
	2018	189,372	177,157	12,214	6.4
	2019	197,844	185,076	12,769	6.5

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a

Beginning in 1966, includes payments for vocational rehabilitation services.

b

Benefit payments to disabled workers and their children and spouses.

c

Benefit payments to disabled children aged 18 and over, to certain mothers and fathers (see text), and to disabled widows and widowers (see footnote d, table VI.G1).

d

Excludes reimbursement of $0.7 billion for excess amounts of voluntary income tax withholding in 1999-2005.

e

Excludes interfund transfers to correct a trust fund allocation error made on payments to certain disabled beneficiaries. These transfers amounted to $3.3 billion in 2007, $0.3 billion in 2008, and $0.1 billion in 2009 from OASI to DI.

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components.