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What does the midterm election mean for Social Security disability benefits?

There was a considerable shift in the political spectrum this month, as Republicans increased their lead in the House of Representatives and took over the lead in the U.S. Senate.

What does this mean for those who receive disability benefits through the Social Security Administration? Dan Caplinger of The Motley Fool said the chances are low that it will negatively impact disability benefits. In fact, he believes benefits may be enhanced in some cases.

“Despite some of their benefit-cutting proposals, some Republicans owe their victory at least in part to campaign strategies that emphasized the value of preserving Social Security benefits,” he wrote, adding that states such as Colorado, Arkansas and North Carolina all saw Republican ads highlighting the reasons why Social Security benefits needed to stay in tact.

One change Caplinger sees could happen to the Social Security Disability Trust fund, which has enough to last until 2016. However, this fund may see cuts of 20 percent after 2016. While there could be a solution for this, such as money transferred between this fund and the retirement benefits, this is definitely an issue to watch out for, especially for those who receive SSA disability benefits.

Hopefully, the SSA is sufficiently funded by Congress so benefits are not reduced. It is important for citizens, and the disabled especially, to communicate with their Congressmen and insist that the Social Security program is maintained. Anyone can unexpectedly become disabled and need SSA disability benefits; we must ensure they are there for us.