2012 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, the OASI Trust Fund pays monthly benefits to disabled children aged 18 and over of retired and deceased workers if the disability began before age 18. The age by which disability must have begun was later changed to age 22. Effective February 1968, the OASI Trust Fund pays reduced monthly benefits 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.

As of December 31, 2011, the OASI Trust Fund paid monthly benefits to about 1,020,000 individuals because of their disabilities or the disabilities of children. This total includes approximately 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. In calendar year 2011, the OASI Trust Fund paid a total of $9,138 million to the people described above. Table VI.G1 shows OASI benefit payments for disability for selected calendar years during 1960-2011 and estimates for 2012-21 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  c	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
	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		7,685	6,776	905
	2009	969	857	112		8,592	7,618	971
	2010	996	879	117		8,854	7,848	1,004
	2011	1,020	899	121		9,138	8,085	1,051
Estimates under the intermediate assumptions:
	2012	1,043	919	124		9,738	8,624	1,111
	2013	1,064	938	126		10,177	9,023	1,150
	2014	1,084	957	127		10,618	9,437	1,177
	2015	1,103	975	127		11,093	9,884	1,204
	2016	1,120	993	127		11,574	10,344	1,225
	2017	1,136	1,011	126		12,081	10,829	1,247
	2018	1,152	1,028	125		12,643	11,363	1,275
	2019	1,168	1,044	124		13,246	11,930	1,310
	2020	1,184	1,060	124		13,908	12,542	1,360
	2021	1,200	1,075	125		14,593	13,168	1,419

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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, includes only disabled widows and widowers aged 50-59, because disabled widows and widowers age 60 and older are 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, includes 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), compared to the higher nondisabled widow’s and widower’s benefits that would otherwise be payable. In 1984 and later years, includes only benefit payments to disabled widows and widowers aged 50-59 (see footnote c).

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

Under the intermediate assumptions, the Trustees estimate that total benefit payments from the OASI Trust Fund with respect to disabled beneficiaries will increase from $9,738 million in calendar year 2012 to $14,593 million in calendar year 2021.

In calendar year 2011, 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 DI fund to all children and spouses of disabled-worker beneficiaries) totaled $138,117 million. Of this amount, $9,138 million, or 6.6 percent, represented payments from the OASI Trust Fund. Table VI.G2 contains these and similar figures for selected calendar years during 1960-2011 and estimates for calendar years 2012-21.

 

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	92,446	6,741	6.8
	2007	106,197	99,147	7,051	6.6
	2008	114,061	106,376	7,685	6.7
	2009	127,000	118,407	8,592	6.8
	2010	133,100	124,245	8,854	6.7
	2011	138,117	128,979	9,138	6.6
Estimates under the intermediate assumptions:
	2012	147,563	137,824	9,738	6.6
	2013	153,875	143,698	10,177	6.6
	2014	159,869	149,251	10,618	6.6
	2015	166,250	155,157	11,093	6.7
	2016	172,259	160,685	11,574	6.7
	2017	178,209	166,129	12,081	6.8
	2018	184,822	172,179	12,643	6.8
	2019	192,062	178,817	13,246	6.9
	2020	200,256	186,348	13,908	6.9
	2021	210,552	195,959	14,593	6.9

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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).

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