Don’t Speak English? Congratulations, You Can Apply for Disability
That goes double if you’re in Puerto Rico, a Spanish-speaking area because apparently illiteracy is a disability for Americans and so is not speaking English for Puerto Ricans… in Puerto Rico.
Feel free to parse whether the system is racist, insane or has actually ridden affirmative action so far around the bend that it’s impossible to tell.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) approved disability benefits for hundreds of Puerto Ricans because they do not speak English, despite the fact that Puerto Rico is a predominantly Spanish-speaking territory.
According to a new audit by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the agency is misapplying rules that are intended to provide financial assistance to individuals who are illiterate or cannot speak English in the United States. Under the rules, Puerto Ricans are allowed to receive disability benefits for their inability to speak English as well.
You might ask why disability benefits are being awarded based on illiteracy and when illiteracy became a disability. My best guess is it stars with a D and ends with a Rat.
Though 95 percent of Puerto Ricans speak Spanish at home, according to the rules a Spanish-speaking nurse in Puerto Rico would be considered “unskilled,” the OIG said.
The SSA told the OIG that the rules are applied one-size-fits-all.
“SSA managers at various disability decision levels stated Social Security is a national program, and the grids must be applied to the national economy, regardless of local conditions,” the audit said.
Isn’t the Federal government great? It’s these one-size fits all rules that really make the system work. And if you don’t understand that, you need to apply for disability.
