Arkie,

"Entitlement" when applied to government social safety net programs in the USA is a term whose definition has morphed over the past 40 years, and also become much cloudier.

Back in the '70's, entitlement programs referred only to those programs for which eligibility did not include a financial "means" test. If you paid in and/or had enough quarters of work or years of service, you and/or your family were guaranteed participation criteria such as age, years of service or disability were met.

Means tested programs such as Medicaid and SSI were not considered entitlements. Regardless of how much or how little one contributed in tax dollars or years of service, income and assets had to fall below specified dollar amounts in order to receive benefits.

Changes in legislation, judicial law and social attitudes over the past 40 years have muddied the waters and left the definition of "entitlement" open to much wider debate.