GETTING SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY, VA DISABILITY? IF YES, UNCLE SAM WANTS TO SPY ON YOU

The Trump administration is considering monitoring social media to out disability payment recipients who are scamming the system. They’re looking for examples of “non-disability” among recipients whose disability claims are thought to preclude the activities in which they’re pictured on social media. E.g., the back injury claimant shown golfing. For recipients with mental health issues, the “violations” warranting disqualification and removal from disability rolls subject to discrimination.

Veterans with compensable PTSD would seem to be at particular peril. There are no signature physical or activity PTSD markers leaving judgement about their worthiness to continue on the disability rolls to the whims and prejudices of an untrained adjudicator. Would a vet be kicked off because he’s active in a veterans organization?

President Reagan undertook such a purge of SS disability rolls for mental health issues early in his administration. There was a sharp increase in decompensation, suicides and other untoward outcomes provoked by the threat.