2009 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, 2008, about 922,000 persons were receiving monthly ben­efits from the OASI Trust Fund because of their disabilities or the disabilities of children. This total includes 26,000 mothers and fathers (wives or hus­bands under age 65 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 $7,796 million in calendar year 2008. Table VI.G1 shows these and similar figures for selected calendar years during 1960-2008, and estimated experience for 2009-18 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		5,747	4,980	764
	2004	828	723	105		5,947	5,164	781
	2005	836	728	108		6,291	5,389	843
	2006	840	732	108		6,741	5,852	885
	2007	851	744	107		7,298	6,418	878
	2008	922	813	109		7,796	6,878	915
Estimates under the intermediate assumptions:
	2009	955	846	110		8,439	7,478	957
	2010	971	861	110		8,676	7,707	964
	2011	986	876	110		8,907	7,929	969
	2012	1,000	891	109		9,253	8,256	985
	2013	1,014	906	108		9,732	8,703	1,013
	2014	1,026	920	106		10,241	9,189	1,032
	2015	1,037	933	104		10,759	9,686	1,050
	2016	1,047	945	101		11,267	10,184	1,058
	2017	1,056	957	98		11,790	10,697	1,068
	2018	1,064	969	96		12,335	11,230	1,079

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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 aged 60-64 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 $8,439 million in calendar year 2009 to $12,335 million in calendar year 2018, based on the intermediate assumptions.

In calendar year 2008, 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 $114,173 million. Of this amount, $7,796 million or 6.8 percent represented payments from the OASI Trust Fund. These and similar figures for selected calendar years during 1960-2008 and estimates for calendar years 2009-18 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	76,699	70,952	5,747	7.5
	2004	84,199	78,251	5,947	7.1
	2005	91,677	85,386	6,291	6.9
	2006	99,186	d 92,446	6,741	6.8
	2007	106,444	e 99,147	7,298	6.9
	2008	114,173	e 106,376	7,796	6.8
Estimates under the intermediate assumptions:
	2009	$126,183	$117,744	$8,439	6.7
	2010	133,718	125,042	8,676	6.5
	2011	138,777	129,871	8,907	6.4
	2012	144,384	135,131	9,253	6.4
	2013	149,991	140,260	9,732	6.5
	2014	157,037	146,796	10,241	6.5
	2015	164,559	153,800	10,759	6.5
	2016	172,582	161,315	11,267	6.5
	2017	181,027	169,237	11,790	6.5
	2018	189,786	177,451	12,335	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 and $0.3 billion in 2008 from OASI to DI.

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