Acting Social Security Commissioner Carolyn Colvin and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., claimed Wednesday that the recession did not greatly increase the rolls of the Social Security Disability Insurance program. However, data clearly show that increases in disability rolls occurred during the recession, suggesting they were caused by the poor labor market.

“I think there’s a general sense that recession and more people apply for disability, and therefore more people are receiving disability,” Stabenow said at a Senate Budget Committee hearing on disability insurance. “The numbers that I’ve seen don’t show that out. Would you agree that more people may apply, but that doesn’t mean they receive it?”