In recent weeks, speculation had been spreading regarding a proposal from the Trump Administration that, if passed, would cause the largest cut to Social Security disability benefits in history. The proposal aimed to change the way that important factors such as age or education were placed under consideration in disability benefit applications. This would have made an already difficult progress even tougher to navigate.
Now, however, it appears that the White House will not be moving forward with this proposal, and the Social Security Administration (SSA) has abandoned the plan, as per a report from The Washington Post. Here is what you need to know.
What was the proposed rule change?
Under current policy when a disability application is submitted, a number of factors are placed under consideration in order to determine eligibility. This includes factors such as age, education, or work history. Age in particular is placed under consideration for applicants aged 55 and older since a number of jobs consider it as a limiting factor, meaning that the claimant may have a tough time finding a new job due to their age.
Under the now shelved Trump Administration proposal, age would only be considered as a limiting factor for applicants age 65 and older, rather than those aged 55 and older. This would impact applications for both the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), as well as the Supplemental Security Income (SSI). According to estimates from the Urban Institute, the proposed rule change would cause a 10% cut in eligibility, resulting in “750,000 fewer people receiving benefits at some point over the next decade.” The report further projected that “80,000 fewer widows and children would qualify due to a spouse or parent losing eligibility, resulting in an estimated $82 billion reduction in total benefits paid over 10 years.”
Additionally in October, a spokesperson for the SSA shared that the agency was in the process of “developing plans to propose improvements to the disability adjudication process to ensure our disability program remains current and can be more efficiently administered.”
“This includes proposing policy updates to occupational data sources and optimizing their use to serve our customers and preserve the trust funds. Once the proposal is fully developed, we will share it publicly and request public comment through the standard rulemaking process… As with any rulemaking, we will consider and analyze public comments before deciding whether to finalize the rule,” the spokesperson further explained.
Proposal to cut disability for thousands is shelved
The fortunate news for disability applicants and beneficiaries is that this rule change will not come to pass. Jason Turkish, co-founder of the nonprofit disability advocacy group Alliance for America’s Promise has shared confirmation that the White House will not be moving forward with this proposal, following a meeting with White House deputy chief of staff James Blair and SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano, as per The Washington Post.
Furthermore, the White House has also claimed that it had not even seen this proposal to begin with.
“The White House has not seen any such proposal. However, President Trump remains fully committed to protecting and strengthening Social Security while making it easier for millions of Americans to engage with the Social Security Administration,” a spokesperson for the White House stated.
Disability advocates are also sharing extreme relief at the news. Rebecca Vallas, CEO of the National Academy of Social Insurance stated the following: “I’m incredibly pleased to see Commissioner Bisignano and the administration decide not to pursue proposed cuts to Social Security’s disability programs — cuts which would have been out of step not only with what the American people want, but also with President Trump’s repeated promises not to cut Social Security. Commissioner Bisignano is wise to move away from this proposal and I hope to work with him to strengthen Social Security’s disability programs in the chapter ahead,” as per statement emailed to Newsweek.