Long Term Disability Part II: The Golden Circle

Simon Sinek concluded the most successful entities first and foremost answer and promote why they exist before moving to how they will accomplish their vision and what specific actions they will undertake. Per Sinek, the standard line is to start on the outside with what does one do, proceed to how to do it, and then leaving why one does it fuzzy. Unfortunately, consumers are most interested in why an entity does what they do. This is especially true as access to information, services, and goods are at an all time high. Sinek posits entities would benefit by starting in the middle of the circle by answering why they do what they do and then moving outwards to how and what.

Where Simon’s counsel, my blog, and long term disability assistance meet, is discussing the role of long term disability assistance. Put another way, why should we have long term disability assistance?


Disclaimers:

1. Please refer to general Disclaimers page.
2. I have no close relationship with anyone receiving long term disability. I have spoken with a small number on disability and those seeking disability through interactions at my work and through community organizations. Never-the-less, I do confess naivety and imperfect knowledge.
3. Public assistance programs are complicated and I do not purport to be able to construct a perfect system where everyone that needs long term disability insurance receives the perfect amount of assistance and everyone that does not need assistance does not receive it and where funds are collected in a fair and just manner.

Defining the role of long term disability assistance is part two of an anticipated six part series. Please see Part I for an initial introduction. I will start with the listed roles and goals of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and end with my personal thoughts on what the roles and goals of a public funded disability system should encompass.

Supplemental Security Income:

Purpose: The basic purpose of SSI is to assure a minimum level of income to people who are aged, blind, or disabled and who have limited income and resources. (Social Security Handbook)

Goals:

• It is designed to help aged, blind, and disabled people, who have little or no income; and
• It provides cash to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.

Source: Social Security Administration SSI Website

Social Security Disability Insurance:

General purposes of social security (includes OASI, a.k.a. retirement aspect of Social Security):

• To provide for the material needs of individuals and families;
• To protect aged and disabled persons against the expenses of illnesses that may otherwise use up their savings;
• To keep families together; and 
• To give children the chance to grow up healthy and secure.

Source: Social Security Handbook

My thoughts:

General Purpose: Promote value and dignity through generous physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and financial support where those with long term disabilities are empowered to thrive as a valued member of society.

Specifically, I support:

• Greater local influence
• I believe national, pubic funded disability assistance should be the quinary safety net (unemployment assistance and food assistance)
• Order of assistance: Self, friends and family, private charities, local/state governments, then national government
• Those in need receiving generous support (financially, emotionally, socially, spiritually, physically)
• Empowering those with disabilities to not only survive, but thrive
• Providing those with long term disabilities avenues to gain dignity
• I believe all people have been created in the image and likeness of God (see disclaimers). We have been graced inherent value regardless of our perceived abilities to contribute to society.
• Personal relationships and integrating those with disabilities into society
• Loneliness I fear is widespread throughout all communities, but especially those who live with disabilities.
• Sustainability
• SSDI to become insolvent in 2016 (Social Security Trustees Report Summary)

In contrast, I am against:

• Impersonal handouts
• Loss of dignity
• One size fits all
• One person’s disability will require a different set of resources than another. Money and time are tools that can produce constructive or destructive consequences. How they are used determines the degree of benefit or harm.
• Enabling/incentivizing individuals to aspire receiving disability assistance 
• Foolish allocation of resources
• There are more needs than our limited resources can meet. Many would support improved education, roads, safety, lower taxes, etc. However, to increase the support of one often requires decreasing the support of another. We need to be wise in determining how we allocate our limited resources.
• Dependency on a government system 
• As stated previously, I support national disability assistance is quinary safety net
• Segregation between those with and without disabilities
• Pity
•  All people have inherent value (see above) and while empathy should be extended, a system solely built on giving out of pity rather than giving out of generous motives will likely be harmful for both the giver and receiver.

Inspirational statements and visions form the necessary foundation to build public assistance programs. However, even with a solid foundation, poor logistics and implementation can be a cause of failure. With a solid foundation of why disability assistance matters, I will transition into looking at the nuts and bolts of our current long term disability system and eventually in part six propose changes.

Next post topic: Disability Part III: Current Programs