Name : ______# ______

This American Life: Episode 490

(search terms: above, plus disability, Trends With Benefits)

Prologue:(7 minutes)

  1. In relation to disability claims, what is unusual about Hale County?
  1. 14 ______people receive disability payments, the number ______every 15 years.
  1. Name two of the three reasons claims should be going down, not up.
  1. On average, if 150,000 jobs are created during the economic recovery, how many people apply for diability that same month?
  1. Is this number generally reported by the media?

Act One:(22 minutes)

  1. Why do banks stay open late certain weeks in Hale County, and yard sales take place on select weekends?
  1. In an effort to make clear how arbitrary the defining of disabled is, what health problems did a judge have but worked, but a person who came before him had the same problems and was considered disabled?
  1. Claims from people with what type of pain have doubled in the last 50 years?
  1. What odd questions does Dr. Timberlake ask to determine if people are disabled?
  1. When you are well educated, you usually do your job in what physical position?
  1. When you are poorly educated in a rural place, most all the jobs require what physical position?
  1. What bad event happened to Scott Birdsall when he was 56?
  1. An acquaintance at a job training eventdelivered what startling news?
  1. For what condition did he eventually get approved for disability?
  1. David Otter, an economist, says growing disability rolls have made what statistic look artificially rosy for the last 20 years?
  1. There is one key way disability differs from welfare. What is it?
  1. What is the average amount disability pays out each year?

Act Two: (26 minutes)

  1. When Bill Clinton mentioned the welfare rolls were dropping, he didn’t mention that what was growing?
  1. One key group that is pushing people to file for disability is ______.
  1. How do they get paid for their work?
  1. Only 1/3 who apply for disability get approved the first time. More than half appeal. What fraction of those win appeal?
  1. How many people did Charles Bender represent last year?
  1. How much did the federal government pay him?
  1. At the hearing, who represents the government?
  1. What do companies like PGC get paid to do?
  1. How many contracts do they currently have?
  1. How many times more money do you make on disability rather than welfare?
  1. How do they help people get approved for diability?
  1. How much PGC make for each person they move to disability?
  1. What % of applications are approved?
  1. How much does Jaleel’s mom make each month since he is disabled?
  1. Why might parents not encourage their kids on disability to do well in school?
  1. What fraction of kids who are disabled as kids stay on disability as adults?
  1. What work would Talia do if she didn’t fear losing her benefits?
  1. According to the reporter, disability programs are hiding what real problem?
  1. What are two of the four options she mentions that we could be doing with the 260 billion a year?