Is it true that Social Security was originally just a retirement program?
This question often lingers on everyone’s mind. Was this program started to solely address retirement? What has the program done to change over the years do address more issues that face citizens?
It is true that in 1935 a law was passed to establish Social Security and under this law Social Security was being created as a retirement plan. For the most part what the law did was provide retirement benefits to the primary worker that was retiring. In 1939, this began to change when the law was amended and adjusted to also included survivor benefits, as well as additional benefits for the spouse and children of the retiree that was initially covered under the original Social Security law. In the year l956, Social Security was further expanded, yet again. This time it was to aid and support the disabled. This was done with the addition of Social Security disability benefits. The Social Security act was originally much larger of a topic than just the program that we have today that we all know of as “Social Security.” The initial 1935 law included the first compensation program for unemployment on a national level. This law also added aid to the states for numerous health and well being programs, such as welfare. The act also attempted to help the stated by establishing the Aid to Dependant Children program under it.
It’s amazing to see how far Social Security has come over the history of the United States, but we all have to hope that Social Security continues to expand creating better programs and does not fall dormant.
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