The Trump administration is reportedly planning to overhaul Social Security disability benefits by removing age as a factor in determining eligibility, a move that could affect hundreds of thousands of older Americans. The proposal, pushed by White House budget director Russell Vought, would mean that applicants over 50 would no longer receive special consideration based on their age when applying for disability benefits.
According to the Urban Institute, the changes could result in 750,000 fewer people receiving Social Security benefits over the next decade, saving the government $82 billion. This includes an estimated 80,000 widows and children who would lose eligibility. The Social Security Administration is also considering raising the minimum age for accessing disability benefits to 60.
A spokesperson for the Social Security Administration said the agency aims to propose improvements to the disability adjudication process to ensure the programme remains current and efficient. The proposal will be subject to public comment before any final decision is made.
Critics argue that removing age as a factor will push older disabled workers into early retirement, permanently reducing their monthly payments. Democratic members of the House Ways and Means Committee accused President Trump of breaking promises on Social Security, while Senator Ron Wyden called the plan the largest cut to disability insurance in American history.
The administration has previously made unsubstantiated claims about millions of centenarians receiving Social Security payments, which critics say is a pretext for cutting essential programmes to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. The proposal is yet to be formally published.
