A sweeping Trump administration proposal risks disturbing the lives of hundreds of thousands of older Americans who rely on Social Security disability benefits. Government officials are considering eliminating age as a factor for determining who is eligible—or raising the minimum age to qualify to 60—basically making it much harder for people in their 50s and early 60s to become eligible for disability payments.
Current eligibility criteria
Social Security disability benefits are insured under two main programs:
- Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI): A work-based program for individuals who have sufficient work credits to be disabled and unable to participate in substantial gainful activity.
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI): An income-based program for disabled, blind, or aged individuals with limited resources.
The SSA currently employs a five-step sequential evaluation to make SSDI and SSI claims:
1. Determine if the applicant is engaging in substantial gainful activity.
2. Check the severity of the impairment.
3. Check if the impairment is equal to or greater than an impairment listed.
4. Check the ability to perform prior work.
5. Check the ability to adjust to other work, with age also being a significant factor for applicants over 50.
Proposed changes
In the Trump plan, age would be irrelevant in step five of the review or just for individuals over the age of 60. Russell Vought, who is the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, is reportedly pushing for this approach as part of a broader shake-up of federal welfare programs.
Proponents of the change argue that lengthening lifespans and shifts in work life patterns make disability standards need to be updated to reflect modern labor markets. They argue that removing age will focus benefits on those who actually cannot work, rather than spreading them over a broad age range.
Projected impact
Policy analysts warn that even a 10% reduction in eligibility would bar benefits for 750,000 fewer recipients over the next 10 years—and still another 80,000 widows and children would lose survivor benefits based on disabled workers.
The majority of these age-old workers denied SSDI will have no option but to retire early at age 62, reducing monthly benefits up to 30% for the remainder of their lifespan. Those dependent on SSI may even face reduced payments if qualification standards shrink, contributing additional fiscal burden to low-income retirees and disabled individuals.
Political response and public backlash
Democratic senators have vociferously denounced the plan as a coat-tail cut to Social Security. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) referred to it as “the biggest reduction in disability insurance in American history,” faulting the administration for forcing Americans to work into old age in order to be eligible for benefits earned. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) demanded mobilization to “stop these cuts,” juxtaposing campaign rhetoric with current policy action.
The White House has yet to finish the rule, and the SSA will take public comment once it publishes the proposal in the Federal Register. Yet the prospect of cutting benefits is already fretted by millions with lengthy wait times and regulatory appeal processes.
The Trump administration’s suggested elimination of age factors in deciding disability is a radical shift in Social Security policy. With potentially hundreds of thousands of individuals at risk of denial of benefits, the proposal threatens to destabilize the safety net just as many older Americans are already struggling with health problems and retirement planning complexities. As the public-comment period approaches, policymakers and beneficiaries alike will need to weigh the long-term consequences of broadening one of the nation’s most critical social insurance programs.
