A new report has emerged, alleging that the Trump administration is considering removing a key factor from the assessment of an individual’s eligibility for Social Security disability payments.
The Washington Post reported Sunday that the Trump administration is reportedly preparing a plan to significantly change how older individuals qualify for Social Security disability benefits.
White House spokesman Kush Desai told the Daily Mail that ‘President Trump will always protect and defend Social Security for American citizens.
‘The only policy change to Social Security is President Trump’s working families tax cut legislation that eliminated taxation of Social Security for almost all beneficiaries – which every single Democrat voted against,’ Desai added.
According to individuals who spoke with the Washington Post, the proposal would make it harder for older workers to qualify for the benefits, and the change could impact hundreds of thousands of Americans.
This change is also supposedly one of many being considered by the administration in an effort to overhaul the federal safety net for older, poor, and disabled individuals.
The Social Security Administration currently evaluates disability claims by considering a person’s age, education, and work experience to determine if someone can adjust to various kinds of work.
Older applicants, typically those over age 50, have historically been more likely to qualify, as age has been considered a factor that limits a person’s ability to transition to new types of employment.
Under the proposed plan, officials are reportedly considering either removing age as a factor altogether or raising the threshold to 60 years of age. According to three individuals familiar with the proposal who spoke on condition of anonymity, this change would represent one of the most significant shifts in how disability claims are evaluated in decades.
The administration is also reported to be working on modernizing the labor market data used in these assessments. The current database, long criticized as outdated, still includes obsolete jobs such as ‘nut sorter’ and ‘telephone quotation clerk.’ Following a 2022 Washington Post investigation that highlighted these issues, officials are now seeking to replace the old data with more current labor statistics that reflect today’s job market.
Experts say it is difficult to estimate exactly how many people could lose access to benefits under these proposed rule changes.
However, a recent analysis by Jack Smalligan, a senior policy fellow at the Urban Institute and former Office of Management and Budget official, suggested that if eligibility were reduced by just 10 percent, about 750,000 people could lose benefits over the next decade.
Additionally, about 80,000 widows and children could lose benefits tied to a disabled spouse or parent.
Smalligan noted that many older Americans who apply for disability benefits often struggle to find new employment. If age were no longer considered, more individuals might opt for early retirement instead, resulting in permanently reduced monthly payments.
The initiative is reportedly being led by Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, who has long sought to revise disability rules. Supporters argue that longer lifespans and less physically demanding work justify tightening eligibility, while critics warn the move could leave vulnerable Americans without needed support.
The Daily Mail reached out to the Office of Management and Budget, as well as contacts for the U.S. Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committees for comment outside of regular business hours.
President Trump has repeatedly pledged not to touch entitlement payments despite significant pushes by him and his allies to cut spending across various areas of government.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15163927/disability-benefits-Trump-Social-Security.html