Throughout history, Social Security has been referred to as a “Welfare” program. This common misconception can be harmful to the very beneficiaries who deserve our protection.
Defining “Welfare”
The term “Welfare” refers to the benefits provided by the government to support low-income individuals. These programs are all means-tested; this means that in order to qualify for the welfare benefits, individuals must have income below a certain level.
And while programs define their own threshold level, all have one thing in common: individuals do not need to contribute to the program to qualify.
Qualifying For Social Security
In contrast, Social Security benefits are not given to everyone. Rather, individuals must go through years of hard work. Through this hard work, individuals must earn enough work credits to qualify for benefit payments. In fact, to earn a work credit in 2022, individuals must earn $1,510.
However, individuals cannot earn more than four work credits each year. Because of this restriction, individuals must work for at least 10 years to meet the 40-credit requirement.
These requirements do not meet the definition of a “welfare” program; therefore, Social Security cannot be a “welfare” program.
How Calling Social Security “Welfare” Is Harmful
By claiming Social Security benefits are “welfare,” individuals holding political power suggest retirees cannot survive comfortably on their own. This claim is simply not true.
Rather, there are a number of senior citizens who choose to continue working after retirement to earn additional income to help pay for the rising financial responsibilities.
Demanding Fair Representation
Senior Security Alliance recognizes that Social Security is not a “Welfare” program.
In order to ensure senior citizens are not misrepresented as incapable, we have created The Senior Citizens Bill of Rights. This bill guarantees “the Federal Government, elected officials, and federal employees” refrain from referring to the Social Security program as “Welfare.” refer to the program as such. Learn more about how you can help seniors get better representation by visiting us here.
For more updates on how you can help ensure seniors receive more financial security, follow our social media accounts! Our Twitter is @RetireeAlliance; our Facebook page is @CitizensAssemblyInc.
