One in eleven working adults aged 20-60 faces a disabling illness or injury each year. Disability causes 48% of home foreclosures and 17% of personal bankruptcies. The average disability lasts two to three years, with 2.3 million Social Security beneficiaries in their 20s and 40s.
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Every year, on average, 11% of the U.S. population between the ages of 20 and 60 suffers some sort of illness or injury that prevents them from working and earning a paycheck. In fact, 3 out of 10 of us will be disabled for at least 3 months before we retire and for an average of 2 or 3 years. We might be totally disabled or only partially disabled. It could be permanent or only temporary, but an auto accident or a cancer diagnosis can happen to any one of us at any time. In fact, of all the people collecting Social Security Disability benefits, 2.3 million are only in their 20s, 30s, or 40s. And if we are suddenly unable to work, suddenly without a monthly paycheck, we can quickly exhaust whatever money we've managed to save over the years. That's why 48% of all home foreclosures and 17% of all personal bankruptcies are directly attributable to a long-term illness or injury.