Spending on monthly Social Security disability insurance payments is exploding as the number of recipients has skyrocketed in the last 30 years, even though medical advances during the same period allow many more people to remain on the job longer than ever before.

Discrimination against the disabled in the workplace has also been banned by new laws in recent years, but the dramatic rise in SSDI claims has pushed the program’s insolvency date to the point it is now projected in three years. And yet, disability insurance programs are often left out of the social safety net discussion.