Social Security disability benefits serve as a lifeline of financial support for a number of vulnerable individuals across the country. The Social Security Administration (SSA) pays to beneficiaries two types of disability benefits: the SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance), and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The eligibility requirements for the SSDI benefit differs from the SSI benefit, with the SSDI benefit functioning as an insurance program, whilst the SSI is a welfare program.
When applying for disability, a number of factors are taken into consideration before approval is granted. A new proposal from the Trump Administration has now been put forward and if it is passed, age will no longer be considered as a factor when determining eligibility. As a result, qualifying for disability benefits will now become more difficult and will likely cause the biggest Social Security disability cut in history. Here is what you need to know.
Will disability benefits be cut?
There are currently around 8 million recipients of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefit, and approximately 7 million beneficiaries of the Supplemental Security Income. If the Trump Administration’s proposal to remove age as an eligibility factor is removed, hundreds of thousands of these already vulnerable individuals could be cut off from their benefits.
In order to claim SSDI benefits, the applicant will need to have a sufficient number of work credits (which is earned by paying into the Social Security payroll tax), with other factors such as condition, age, and ability to work also put under consideration. It is said that more than two thirds of disability applications are denied. Delays are also major issue faced by applicants, with close to 1 million individuals still waiting on a decision as of July 2025. In fiscal year 2023, 30,000 people had died before they could receive their disability decision.
By removing age as a factor when determining eligibility, the process of getting your claim approval will likely become additionally burdensome. Many jobs today consider age as a limiting factor, hence the inclusion of age as a determining factor for disability applications. During the Trump Administration’s first term in office, a similar proposal had also been in the works but was not proposed officially.
In 2020, The Wall Street Journal had obtained a copy of the draft. The drafted proposal would “no longer assume age seriously affects a person’s ability to adapt to simple, entry-level work” and “raise the age at which education and work experience are considered in determining eligibility to 55, from 50.”
Under current policy, the SSA determines eligibility for claims of people aged 50 or older by means of specific criteria that is based on relative age. Now, however, “officials are considering eliminating age as a factor entirely or raising the threshold to age 60,” as per a report from The Washington Post.
Impact
According to the Urban Institute, if this change comes to pass, eligibility will drop by as much as 20% for new SSDI claimants, and up to 30% for older adults. Some of these changes could also cause people to lose SSI eligibility entirely. If eligibility for disability benefits is lost, the individual may also lose their health insurance as a result. For the most part, SSI recipients will automatically qualify for Medicaid, whilst SSDI recipients become eligible after two years. If these individuals have their SSI or SSDI benefits reduced, the Medicare coverage may get cut off — worsening the effects of the Medicare and Medicaid cuts under the new One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Seniors will not be alone in feeling the impact of these changes either. As of August 2025, there are over a million children aged under 18 who received the SSI benefit due to having a disability. A further 950,000 children of disabled workers also receive benefits as a result of their parent’s disability. If these changes are enacted and benefit eligibility is lost, disabled individuals as well as their dependents will be losing out on what could very well be considered their lifeline.