Election Season Myths About Social Security

 Posted on August 30, 2016 in Uncategorized

It's an election year, which means that Social Security has become another contentious topic among political candidates, pundits, and the media. Unfortunately, not all information out there is accurate and the GOP-which infamously tried to keep our Social Security disability fund depleted last year-is counting on the public to take some of these assertions as fact. Below, let's debunk some of the myths that have been circulating.

Illegal Immigrants Are Benefiting from Social Security

Perhaps this myth is prevalent due to a lack of knowledge of how Social Security works, but Social Security benefits are dependent on a claimant's work history in Social Security-covered employment. If you begin a job as an undocumented resident without a Social Security number, there's no way to actually collect future benefits. Fake credentials may fool an employer-but not the Social Security Administration if a claim for benefits is made.

Illegal Immigrants and Fraudsters Are "Skipping the Line"

A Donald Trump ad aired earlier this month implied that illegal immigrants were not only preying on Social Security benefits, they were also "skipping the line" ahead of citizens that had filed legitimate claims. As the Los Angeles Times reports, this is categorically untrue: there is no way to skip the line. In cases where claimants are suffering from life-threatening conditions, there are ways to expedite their claim but, again, the claim must be verified as legitimate first.

Illegal Immigration Undermines Social Security

GOP lawmakers and candidates would have the public believe that illegal immigration somehow diminishes our Social Security system and prevents citizens from receiving the relief they deserve. Oddly enough, the opposite is true. In 2010, the Social Security Administration conducted an investigation and found that because illegal workers often use falsified credentials to work here in U.S., they often pay into Social Security without the ability to later collect benefits. That year, it was found that illegal workers contributed $12 billion to the Social Security program.

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