When the Social Security program was first introduced almost a century ago, its purpose was to prevent elder poverty. Today, the program has amassed well over 70 million beneficiaries, however, not all of these beneficiaries are retirees. Alongside retiree, spousal, and survivor benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) also issues benefits to disabled individuals. This is known as the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). The SSA also issues benefits for the Supplemental Security Income, which is a sort of welfare benefit that is issued to recipients who have little to no other income or resources (typically due to becoming disabled). According to the SSA’s monthly statistical snapshot for August, there are currently over 11 million recipients of disability benefits, with around 1.1 million of those beneficiaries qualifying for both Social Security and the Supplemental Security Income.
In recent weeks, word of a proposal to overhaul the determining process for disability benefits has been spreading, striking fear in the millions of beneficiaries who rely on their monthly disability benefits to get by. The Trump Administration was said to be working on a proposal that would change the way age and education is factored into the disability application process. If this proposal were to be passed, hundreds of thousands of disability beneficiaries would be at risk of having their benefits reduced, or even cut off completely.
Now, however, Jason Turkish, co-founder of the advocacy group Alliance for America’s Promise, has shared confirmation that this proposed rule change will not come to pass. Here is everything you need to know.
What was the proposed rule change?
When applying for disability benefits, a number of factors are placed under consideration. This includes factors such as age, education, work history, and condition. For disability applicants who are aged 55 and older, age in particular is considered in the determining process because many jobs consider it as a limiting factor, meaning it would be more difficult for this age cohort to find a new job. Under the proposal that had been drafted by the Trump Administration, in order for age to be considered as a limiting factor for disability applications, the claimant would have to be aged 65 instead of 55. According to estimates from the Urban Institute, changing the rules in this manner would result in around 10% of beneficiaries losing their eligibility. This amounts to around half a million individuals. Recipients of the Supplemental Security Income would also be impacted by this overhaul, however, the precise implications has not yet been determined. Overall, this would have been the largest cut to Social Security in history.
Government walks back proposed rule change
The fortunate news for disability recipients is that the SSA has no plans to change any of its rules at this time. Following a recent meeting with OMB head Russell Vought and White House deputy chief of staff James Blair, Jason Turkish has shared confirmation with various news outlets that the proposed rule change will not be moving forward. Turkish states that Blair had been “unequivocal”, further stating that Blair said, “this is not something the White House is doing and the president is upholding his pledge not to cut Social Security,” according to Axios.
Additionally, the White House states that it had not even seen this proposal despite the numerous reports of this disability benefit overhaul. According to a White House official who had spoken to Nextgov/FCW, “the White House has not seen any such proposal.”
“The only policy change to Social Security is President Trump’s working families tax cuts legislation, which eliminated taxation of Social Security for almost all beneficiaries – something that every single Democrat voted against,” the official further stated.
Confirmation that this proposal will not be moving forward has also brought relief to disability advocates. Rebecca Vallas, chief executive officer of the National Academy of Social Insurance, has stated the following to Axios, “I’m incredibly pleased to see Commissioner Bisignano and the administration decide not to pursue proposed cuts to Social Security’s disability programs.”