sigh - Affective orders is a mental health term. It refers to depression, bipolar and schizoaffective disorders.

People do not qualify for SSI or SSDI on the basis of a diagnosis. They qualify based on their level of functioning, given that diagnosis. That is why the questions are there to help determine the level of functioning. This has to be supported by a medical professional. If in doubt, SSA will have the person seen by a medical professional of SSA´s choosing.

2 reasons people rarely get off SSI or SSDI:

1- by definition, these are for long-term disabilities. If there were lots of people getting off, then they shouldn´t have qualified in the first place.

2- there are tremendous disincentives built into the system to get off, in particular, asking people with disabilities to lose access to Medicaid. They likely can´t qualify for other health insurance. There are procedures to try to maintain Medicaid and get off SSI or SSDI, but they were written by bureaucrats and almost no one can follow them.

Rented a house last month. Many applicants attempted to qualify with SSI. They and their children were on SSI and food stamps. Attention Deficit Disorder was cited as their disability.

Not including WIC or MediCal, their cash income came to $30,000 a year. In California, that comes to around $40,000 a year, if earned in wages. Over $50,000 a year, if other benefits are included.

Nominate for must read. A sister in law called me to gloat when Obamacare passed. She lost a very big job in the crash of 2008 and is unlikely to get anything remotely as good. She and her husband have been consuming a lot of medical care over the last couple of years. She did not qualify for Obamacare. She did however get on Disability not because of any specific physical ailment but because the large amounts of medication required qualified as a mental disability. If we do not get growth and jobs, Disability to going to destroy what is left of the economy.

Here´s another little tidbit of info that I learned only recently. An aquaintance is an OB/GYN, will turn 63 this year, and decided that he did not want to/could not comply with all the new rules and regs under Obamacare - might as well take early retirement.

He called the agency to find out how to register for SSI, was informed that not only did he qualify, but since he has a young daughter under 18 living in the home, she qualifies. AND - his wife also qualifies immediately under his account. The agent with whom he spoke was very open with advice such as: just make sure you spend all the young daughter´s money each month or she might not qualify next year, etc., etc.

This did not shock only me (or friends and family with whom he shared the info) but him as well.

When you take stories like this into consideration, it´s absolutely no wonder that the system is about to come crashing down around us.

1. I cannot object more strongly to the use of the device of presenting the problem as "a parasite."

As OP says correctly and clearly, this is a conscious, destructive, intentional effort to damage the US and our free-market economy. To take it in any other way denies all the clear proofs.

We have got to fight it. Now.

2. There are certainly legitimate cases, which should be handled by the states, not the Feds.

Overblown governments from city to county to state to Federal account for more. Billions.

This article completely exposes SSIgate.

0-hole has done this to us for one reason, only. He has handed out SSI and SSID like Halloween candy in order to keep the unemployment numbers low, so he could get himself re-elected. This is nothing but another campaign expense to get 0 a second term.