Scary. If you dive deep in Project2025 this group has declared how we are to think, believe, and when to worship, taking away liberty of conscious. God never forced this on anyone and having a government force this is getting pretty close to a similar decree like in Daniel and why it's in the prophetic book. Politics and religion needs to stay separated. On the flip side, the other party does this too- how to think, what is a moral, or not. Jesus please just come soon!
<—- IF YOU RECEIVE SOCIAL SECURITY, DISABILITY or VETERANS BENEFITS READ THIS POST —->
**If the proposed changes to Social Security, Disability and Veterans Benefits were included in the Project 2025 Mandate Donald Trump would not have been elected. They were left out on purpose. The proposals listed below from The Heritage are for the period of 2023 to 2032
**
The
Project 2025 Tracker is a useful resource for monitoring updates based on the mandate. But that isn’t the whole of their plan. Only the portion for a period. If you want to know what they have in mind for the next ten years (up to 2032) reference
Policy Proposals instead.
Social Security wasn’t covered in the mandate but they recommended changes from now through 2032. If a solution isn’t found benefits will be slashed 21-23% (2023 projections) thus far. The number could increase and the insolvency date isn’t fixed and reduces every year. This is the latest update from the agency.
Social Security Board of Trustees: Projection for Combined Trust Funds One Year Sooner than Last Year
Old-Age and Survivors Insurance = Social Security. It will run out in 2033
Disability Insurance = SSDI. Has more resources than the other.
—-> Social Security Proposals
* 16 Reforms to Improve the Solvency and Integrity of Social Security Disability Insurance
* Counting on Social Security To Fund Your Retirement? Think Again
* Should the Social Security Retirement Age Be Raised? Yes.
Real Plan: Gradually Shift Social Security to a Flat Benefit
Gradually shifting to a flat benefit would reduce Social Security expenditures by $679 billion during the FY 2023–FY 2032 period.
Social Security was not intended to be an income-replacement program, but to prevent poverty in old age, and yet it provides the largest benefits to the highest-income people with the least need. By very gradually shifting Social Security toward a
universal, anti-poverty benefit, increasing benefits for low-income earners and reducing them for middle- and upper-income earners until everyone receives the same amount, Social Security could be made solvent and the payroll tax could decline by about 20 percent within the 75-year horizon—and by even larger amounts over time.
Universal Anti-Poverty Benefit = A form of Universal Basic Income (UBI)
Real Plan: Disability Insurance: Shift to a Flat, Anti-Poverty Benefit
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) should shift to a flat, anti-poverty benefit. Shifting to a flat benefit would reduce Disability Insurance expenditures by $226 billion during the FY 2023–FY 2032 period.
Switching Disability Insurance to a flat, anti-poverty benefit structure would increase benefits for about 36 percent of Disability Insurance recipients currently receiving below-poverty-level benefits. Other future recipients would receive lower benefits, but the reductions would be relatively minor, as only 21 percent of Disability Insurance benefits exceed 150 percent of the poverty level.
Not only would this proposal save $241 billion over 10 years, but, combined with other Heritage Foundation Disability Insurance reform proposals, these reforms would allow for a nearly 50 percent reduction in the Disability Insurance payroll tax rate.
Real Plan: Disability Insurance: Limit Retroactive Benefits to Six Months, and Include Unearned Income in the Measure of Substantial Gainful Activity
Limit retroactive benefits to six months instead of 12 months, and include unearned income in the measure of substantial gainful activity (SGA). Limiting retroactive Disability Insurance benefits to six months instead of 12 months and including unearned income in the measure of substantial gainful activity would reduce Disability Insurance expenditures by $19 billion during the FY 2023–FY 2032 period.
When individuals apply for and eventually receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, they receive two levels of back pay. First, they receive payments for all the months between when they first filed for SSDI benefits and when their claim was eventually approved. Additionally, individuals can receive up to 12 months’ worth of “retroactive” payments dating back to their first month of disability onset. The SSDI program requires only that individuals wait five months, however, to apply for benefits after a disability onset. Thus, retroactive payments should be limited to six months to bring them in line with the program’s waiting period.
Real Plan: Disability Insurance: Establish Time-Limited, Needs-Based Benefits
Establish time-limited, needs-based benefits for the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. Establishing time-limited, needs-based benefits would reduce Disability Insurance expenditures by $4.8 billion during the FY 2023–FY 2032 period.
Disabilities vary significantly from person to person, and yet, the current system prescribes a one-size-fits-all benefit structure that fosters government dependence instead of personal autonomy and independence. The SSDI program fails to set expectations that individuals will return to work upon recovery, and typically fails to end benefits if individuals become capable of working.
Individuals who qualify for SSDI with temporary conditions that are expected to improve with time and treatment would receive a needs-based benefit for a limited time of two years, coupled with incentives to help them transition back to the labor force. Individuals with temporary benefits whose conditions failed to improve would be eligible to reapply for benefits via an expedited review process within six months of their benefits expiring. Individuals with terminal or deteriorating conditions would continue to receive benefits without a time limit.
Real Plan: Disability Insurance: End Double-Dipping Between Disability Insurance and Unemployment Insurance Programs
End double-dipping between Disability Insurance and Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs. Ending double-dipping between DI and UI programs would reduce Disability Insurance expenditures by $5.5 billion during the FY 2023–FY 2032 period.
Currently, some individuals receive both Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits as well as Unemployment Insurance benefits. Yet, by definition, an individual cannot be disabled (meaning they are unable to work) and also unemployed (meaning they are ready, able, and willing to work). Congress should stipulate that individuals should be disqualified from receiving SSDI benefits in any month in which they receive UI benefits.
Real Plan: Eliminate (Reform) Supplemental Security Income Benefits for Children (Eliminate is used in the policy list)
Reform Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits for Children. Reforming SSI income benefits for children would save $10 billion in FY 2023 and $128 billion during the FY 2023–FY 2032 period, including $118 billion in mandatory savings and $10 billion in discretionary savings.
The original intent of Supplemental Security Income was to provide cash assistance to adults unable to support themselves because of a disability and to the low-income elderly. Children are not expected to financially support themselves or their families, but now SSI also provides cash assistance to households with children who are functionally disabled and who come from low-income homes.
Today, about 14 percent of SSI recipients are children (1.13 million children). SSI should be reformed to serve its originally intended population by limiting benefits for children to subsidizing the medical expenses needed to address their disabilities. Any medical expenses arising from a child’s disability that are not covered by another program, such as Medicaid, should be provided by SSI.
As a determination of individuals’ continued benefit levels, only income earned through work counts toward the SGA measure, but this allows individuals with significant unearned income from investments and other sources to receive disability insurance benefits that are intended to be for workers who do not have enough income to provide for themselves. It should not matter whether individuals receive income from work or from investment earnings. Although individuals can choose when to realize certain unearned income, this provision would at least help prevent benefits from going to those who have other significant means of income to provide for themselves.
Real Plan: Eliminate Concurrent Receipt of Retirement Pay and Disability Compensation for Veterans
Eliminate concurrent receipt of both Veterans Administration (VA) disability benefits and military retirement benefits. This option would reduce mandatory outlays by at least $160 billion during the FY 2023–FY 2032 period.
Until 2003, military retirees were prohibited from collecting full Defense Department retirement and VA disability benefits simultaneously. Military retirees eligible for VA disability benefits lost $1 in Defense Department retirement benefits for every $1 in VA disability benefits they collected. The rationale for this offset policy was that concurrent receipt of retirement and disability payments was compensating veterans for the same service twice.
Policy changes instituted in 2004 allowed Defense Department retirees to collect benefits from both programs simultaneously. Under this concurrent-receipt policy, the share of military retirees who also receive VA disability benefits rose from 33 percent in 2005 to just over 50 percent in 2015.
The U.S. government should honor its promise to the those who serve without generating excessive benefit payouts. Simply returning to the long-standing pre-2004 policy under which veterans’ disability payments offset retirement pay would reduce excessive benefits and save taxpayers at least $160 billion during the FY 2023–FY 2032 period.
Real Plan: Narrow Eligibility for Veterans Disability by Excluding Disabilities Unrelated to Military Duties
Remove conditions that cannot be related to military service from eligibility for Veterans Administration (VA) disability benefits. This option would reduce mandatory outlays by at least $37.6 billion during the FY 2023–FY 2032 period.
Disability compensation for veterans should focus on service-related conditions. Veterans are eligible for disability compensation from the VA for medical conditions or injuries that occurred or worsened during active-duty military service, as well as for conditions that were not necessarily incurred or worsened due to military service.
The U.S. General Accounting Office (now the Government Accountability Office) identified seven conditions that are not likely to be caused or worsened by military service: arteriosclerotic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Crohn’s disease, hemorrhoids, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, and uterine fibroids.
Real Plan: Put a 10-Year Time Limit on Initial Applications for Disability Compensation for Veterans
Limit initial applications to the Veterans Administration (VA) for service-related disabilities to within 10 years following the end of active service, with narrow exceptions. This option would reduce mandatory outlays by $20 billion during the FY 2023–FY 2032 period.
Currently, military veterans may file for service-related disability benefits no matter how long ago their service ended. First-time applicants at or close to retirement age may file for and receive benefits even if they left the military decades ago. Such applicants represent a significant portion of new enrollees. As of 2012, 43 percent of first-time disability recipients were over the age of 55, despite average tours of duty ending by age 30.
Allowing for long-term effects of service injuries to manifest themselves is necessary and proper. However, beyond a certain point, this policy runs the risk of causing the military disability system to cover conditions that were primarily the result of post-service activity or the natural aging process.
Real Plan: Require States to Use Federal Medicaid Home Equity Limits
Congress should remove the state option to increase the federal home equity limits for determining Medicaid long-term care eligibility. This proposal would reduce mandatory outlays by $38 billion during the FY 2023–2032 period.
Under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, the federal government set a $500,000 home equity exemption to qualify for Medicaid long-term care services. At the same time, it gave states the option to increase that threshold up to $750,000. As costs for long-term care services continue to climb in Medicaid, it is important that the program and its resources are targeted at those who truly need assistance. Therefore, the state option to increase the home-equity exemption threshold should be rescinded.
~bella
