# Puerto Ricans Who Can't Speak English Qualify For Social Security Disability



## Misty (Apr 13, 2015)

Federal Eye
*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.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...14fd66a0-9199-11e2-bdea-e32ad90da239&hpid=z15

What do other's think of this....a good thing or not?


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## Debby (Apr 13, 2015)

That is absolutely nuts if you ask me.  We have loads of Quebecers I'm sure who hardly speak English here in Canada.  That would mean all of them could apply for disability if our law was written like that.  I'm betting that there would be a whole lot of Canadians who would have a thing or two to say about that.


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## Jackie22 (Apr 13, 2015)

This is written to appear that you are qualified for disability if you can't speak English.  I don't think SS would qualify ALL that can not speak English..this is another misleading article.

I did some research on this and there were only around 200 Puerto Ricans that received the SS disability....and the fact that they did not speak English was only ONE contributing factor in the qualifications.


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## applecruncher (Apr 13, 2015)

Maybe I’m missing something, but what does “speaking English” have to do with qualifying for Social Security?

If someone is mute or had an operation which removed their vocal chords/larynx, does that mean they shouldn’t get SS?


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## Davey Jones (Apr 13, 2015)

applecruncher said:


> Maybe I’m missing something, but what does “speaking English” have to do with qualifying for Social Security?
> 
> If someone is mute or had an operation which removed their vocal chords/larynx, does that mean they shouldn’t get SS?




There is a big difference between disability and speaking English.
No English,No S.S. imo.


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## Warrigal (Apr 13, 2015)

Jackie22 said:


> This is written to appear that you are qualified for disability if you can't speak English.  I don't think SS would qualify ALL that can not speak English..this is another misleading article.
> 
> I did some research on this and there were only around 200 Puerto Ricans that received the SS disability....and the fact that they did not speak English was only ONE contributing factor in the qualifications.



That puts the matter into perspective. Thanks Jackie.


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## applecruncher (Apr 13, 2015)

Davey Jones said:


> There is a big difference between disability and speaking English.
> No English,No S.S. imo.





My question (which you didn’t answer) was not about disability/SSDI.

As far as I know, SS is based on a % of earnings paid into the system. A person could be mute from birth – unable to speak English or any other language – and still work and pay into the system. As I understand it, you feel they should not get SS upon reaching retirement age.

There are jobs which do not require a person to speak. So, they’re supposed to pay in but get nothing from SS when they retire? Seriously?

Again my question was "what does speaking English have to do with qualifying for Social Security?"


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## Misty (Apr 13, 2015)

applecruncher said:


> My question (which you didn’t answer) was not about disability/SSDI.
> 
> As far as I know, SS is based on a % of earnings paid into the system. A person could be mute from birth – unable to speak English or any other language – and still work and pay into the system. As I understand it, you feel they should not get SS upon reaching retirement age.
> 
> ...



Hi applecruncher  I just got home and saw your question. What the article is talking about is Social Security Disability Benefits, which does not involve retiring. Some Puerto Ricans have been receiving SS disability benefits because of their inability to speak English, which was regarded as a disability in not being able to work, according to Social Security regulations.


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## SeaBreeze (Apr 13, 2015)

I know nothing about this, but after some googling it seems this has been that way since the 1970s.  

http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-reports/A-12-13-13062

“QUALIFYING FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS IN PUERTO RICO BASED ON AN INABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH

The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a five-step sequential evaluation process for determining whether a claimant qualifies for disability benefits. In claims that reach the last step in the process, adjudicators use medical-vocational guidelines (grids) developed in the 1970s to guide them in deciding a claimant’s physical and vocational abilities to adjust to work in the national economy.

When deciding a case under the grids, adjudicators evaluate a claimant’s physical capacity to work along with age, education, and work experience. The ability to speak, read, write, and understand English is considered an educational factor.

 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 objective of our audit was to analyze the effect of regulations requiring that disability adjudicators allow a disability claim based on a claimant’s inability to understand the English language for claimants residing in Puerto Rico.”


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## Butterfly (Apr 13, 2015)

IMHO, simply NOT speaking English should not be considered a disability, if that's what we are talking about (I'm unsure if that's what you mean);  BUT it is NUTS to say that an otherwise disabled non-English-speaker should not qualify for SS disability.  Puerto Rico is a US Commonwealth and Puerto Ricans are US Citizens since 1917 .  They pay into FICA (Medicare and Social Security), and unemployment taxes.  Why should they not qualify for SS disability?


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## applecruncher (Apr 13, 2015)

Misty said:


> Hi applecruncher  I just got home and saw your question. What the article is talking about is Social Security Disability Benefits, which does not involve retiring. Some Puerto Ricans have been receiving SS disability benefits because of their inability to speak English, which was regarded as a disability in not being able to work, according to Social Security regulations.


Thank you for the clarification. I was way off.  Sorry.


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## Jackie22 (Apr 14, 2015)

This happened for a period of 2 years and then the rules were reevaluated and changed, also there were only 218 residents who received the the benefits under the rules at that time.

This was at the bottom of the original article.......

“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...lish-qualify-as-disabled-for-social-security/


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## Misty (Apr 14, 2015)

Debby said:


> That is absolutely nuts if you ask me.  We have loads of Quebecers I'm sure who hardly speak English here in Canada.  That would mean all of them could apply for disability if our law was written like that.  I'm betting that there would be a whole lot of Canadians who would have a thing or two to say about that.



Thanks for your response, Debby....really appreciated it.  Like you, I thought it was nutty too, and had never heard of it happening before I read it on the news about 4 days ago.


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## Misty (Apr 14, 2015)

Jackie22 said:


> This is written to appear that you are qualified for disability if you can't speak English.  I don't think SS would qualify ALL that can not speak English..this is another misleading article.
> 
> I did some research on this and there were only around 200 Puerto Ricans that received the SS disability....and the fact that they did not speak English was only ONE contributing factor in the qualifications.



Hi Jackie  Thanks for your added info about the different number of Puerto Ricans who had received the SS disability payments. I had just read about it very recently, and read they were thinking of changing it, but didn't know they already had changed it. You're a good researcher!


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## Davey Jones (Apr 14, 2015)

You all do know you don't have to speak English or read signs in English to get a drivers license,don't you/.


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## Misty (Apr 14, 2015)

SeaBreeze said:


> I know nothing about this, but after some googling it seems this has been that way since the 1970s.
> 
> http://oig.ssa.gov/audits-and-investigations/audit-reports/A-12-13-13062
> 
> ...



Thanks for the article, Seabreeze. You're a good researcher also.  It's Very Interesting. Like you, I didn't know anything about it either. It's surprising it was in the news so recently. Since Spanish is the predominant language in Puerto Rico, it's surprising that they would have trouble finding work there, due to their inability to speak english, unless they were tour guides or dealt with tourists in some way.


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## Misty (Apr 14, 2015)

Davey Jones said:


> You all do know you don't have to speak English or read signs in English to get a drivers license,don't you/.



I didn't know that, Davey....that's scary. From what I read after reading your post, some are given a spanish manual, and some bring an interpreter to take the written part of the test. It would be hard to memorize all the road signs in their manual to keep them and other's safe while they are driving, after getting their drivers license.


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## Butterfly (Apr 14, 2015)

Misty said:


> I didn't know that, Davey....that's scary. From what I read after reading your post, some are given a spanish manual, and some bring an interpreter to take the written part of the test. It would be hard to memorize all the road signs in their manual to keep them and other's safe while they are driving, after getting their drivers license.



It really isn't a big feat of literacy to read road signs.  That's why most are pictures and/or distinctively shaped and colored signs.  I had a license to drive in Germany during the 9 years I lived there, and never had the least bit of problem with the signage, even in the beginning.  The right of way laws (some are different from ours) and the automatic speed limits in towns, etc., you had to learn.  The test was offered in more than one language, as it is here where I live.


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## tnthomas (Apr 14, 2015)

Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens so they are entitled to any S.S. benefits that they earned, and so not speaking English is irrelevant.   In California millions of Mexican non-citizens are able to get drivers licenses and the full range of social services.   Again, not speaking English is irrelevant, at least to public agencies.


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