Headlines regarding Social Security Disability often point to the increased number of disability applications that have occurred in the last decade.  Statistics from the Social Security Administration website report that there were 1,895,521 applications for disability filed in 2003, and in 2013, there were 2,640,100 applications filed.[1]  These numbers may appear startling and lead to the question, “Why are there so many more applications?”  Contrary to popular misconceptions, there are many practical and legitimate reasons behind the rising number of disability filings.  As a starting point, the U.S. population is both growing and aging.  As [...]