Thread: SSA Awards Disability Benefits If You Can't Speak English in Puerto Rico

ACTIVISM ALERT: Call the Social Security Administration to demand they stop issuing taxpayer disability benefits to anyone because they don't speak English! Contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 and say "apply for benefits" then say "continue" or press 2 then tell them your SS number is 555-55-555. After contacting SSA to complain, contact your member of Congress (Click here) to demand they take action to "Stop Taxpayer Disability Benefits for people that simply don't speak English!"

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Puerto Ricans who can’t speak English qualify as disabled for Social Security
By Josh Hicks April 10

Hundreds of Puerto Rico’s residents qualified for federal disability benefits in recent years because they lacked fluency in English, according to government auditors.


The Social Security Administration’s inspector general questioned the policy this month in light of the fact that Spanish is the predominant language in the U.S. territory.


Under Social Security regulations, individuals are considered less employable in the United States if they can’t speak English, regardless of their work experience or level of education.

A Puerto Rican national flag in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Ricardo Arduengo/AP)



In a report this month, the independent watchdog suggested that a more appropriate standard might be to consider local conditions when making benefits decisions.


According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, 95 percent of Puerto Rico residents above age 5 speak Spanish at home, and about 84 percent say they do not speak English “very well.”


The inspector general noted that a nurse in Puerto Rico who speaks only Spanish could be considered “unskilled” under current Social Security standards.


“A claimant’s inability to communicate in English can lessen the relevance of work experience and education, potentially making it more likely the claimant will receive disability benefits,” the report said.


Auditors identified 218 cases between 2011 and 2013 in which the the Social Security Administration granted disability status to Puerto Rico residents because of the existing guidelines.


The inspector general recommended that the agency evaluate whether the rules are appropriate and determine the number of beneficiaries who have received disability status based on their inability to communicate in English.


The Social Security Administration agreed with the proposals and said it is making preparations for a potential rule change, including by gathering research and taking input from federal experts and the public.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...ty/?tid=pm_pop


Just when you think you've heard it all ... the US government never fails to surprise with the unthinkable.

ACTIVISM ALERT: Call the Social Security Administration to demand they stop issuing taxpayer disability benefits to anyone because they don't speak English! Contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 and say "apply for benefits" then say "continue" or press 2 then tell them your SS number is 555-55-555. After contacting SSA to complain, contact your member of Congress (Click here) to demand they take action to "Stop Taxpayer Disability Benefits for people that simply don't speak English!"

This activism alert and article is being linked to in today's email alert going out to the nation found at...
http://www.alipac.us/f8/fight-illega...5/#post1459419

W

UPDATE
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Report: Revisit Disability Payments In P.R. For Lack Of English

Over the past few years, more than 200 residents of Puerto Rico were granted federal disability benefits because they don't speak English fluently, according to an audit report by the Social Security Administration's inspector general.

The agency's inspector general questioned whether job seekers in Puerto Rico - a U.S. commonwealth where both Spanish and English are the official languages but the main spoken language is Spanish - are really hampered from finding employment because they don't speak English.

"The guidelines assume individuals who are unable to communicate in English are limited in their ability to find a job in the regional or national economy where English is the predominant language, even though residents of Puerto Rico may be able to find local work with their Spanish-speaking skills," the report said.

Under current Social Security Administration rules, job seekers—regardless of their level of education or work history—face tougher hurdles to finding employment in the U.S. when they don't speak English fluently.

Spanish is the most broadly spoken non-English language used in the U.S., according to a Pew Research Center report. It is also a language with the fastest-growing number of speakers.

According to the Social Security Administration's inspector general's report, a U.S. Court of Appeals also upheld an earlier U.S. District Court's ruling that Spanish fluency, rather than English, is most important for the Puerto Rican workforce.

The inspector general's report recommends revisiting whether the rules should be tweaked in such cases and advised that the agency figure out the number of people who received disability benefits due to an inability to speak English fluently. The Social Security Administration agreed and is working on a potential rule change.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/l...bility-n340611

The US government is selling out the American People and bankrupting the United States faster than we can find and count the ways.

Isn't there a petition we can sign to stop this?

Originally Posted by Stopillegalimmigration

Isn't there a petition we can sign to stop this?

Federal Court Rulings usually have more legal authority than a petition.

"a U.S. Court of Appeals also upheld an earlier U.S. District Court's ruling that Spanish fluency, rather than English, is most important for the Puerto Rican workforce."