2005 Reports

Why Social Security Matters to Children and Families: What Every Policymaker Should Know

Cauthen, Nancy K.

Social Security has provided a reliable retirement safety net for the elderly for more than six decades. But the program also provides working parents with valuable—and irreplaceable—insurance protection for their families against the tragedies of serious disability and death. Over 5 million children benefit from Social Security—as dependents of workers who have died or become disabled, or as family members in households where an adult relies on Social Security. The program provides more benefits to children than any other social program.