THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S PLANS TO COVERTLY CUT SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS

The following information was released by the Center for American Progress:

Authors' note: As the disability community continues to rapidly evolve, its members have begun to use identity-first language in place of person-first language. This is because they view disability as being a core component of identity, much like race and gender. Some members of the community, such as people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, prefer person-first language. In this column, the terms are used interchangeably.

Social Security, including disability benefits, is one of the most successful anti-poverty programs in the United States. As of August 2025, 8.1 million people received Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and 7.3 million people received federal Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI). Yet the program is now under threat: The Trump administration has plans to propose regulatory changes that, if finalized, could represent the biggest Social Security disability cut in history. Among the expected proposals are changes that would prevent people, especially older adults, from qualifying for disability benefitswith devastating consequences. Specifically, the plan would change eligibility criteria to make it even harder to qualify, preventing people from accessing much-needed benefits.

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Restricting eligibility would cut people off from disability benefits that are already too difficult to access

The changes sought by the Trump administration are arbitrary and cruel efforts to restrict needed benefits that are already too difficult to access. To receive disability benefits, one must navigate an extensive and burdensome process, where more than two-thirds of SSDI disability applicants are denied. There are also dangerous delays: As of July 2025, nearly 1 million people were waiting for decisionsthe result of decades of understaffing made worse by cuts led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). For many, those decisions never come. In fiscal year 2023, 30,000 people died while awaiting disability decisions.

Yet the Trump administration's plans would make it harder, rather than easier, for Americans to access disability benefits. In particular, according to published reports, the forthcoming regulations would likely change the way claimants' age is taken into account, making it harder for older claimants to qualify. A similar suite of changes was nearly proposed in the first Trump administration. The Wall Street Journal, which obtained a copy of the draft rule in 2020, noted that the draft's proposals 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."

Cumulatively, the Urban Institute estimates that the expected changes could reduce SSDI eligibility for new claimants by as much as 20 percent overall and up to 30 percent for older adults. Compounding this impact, some of the changes could also cut people off from SSI, adding to the damage.

These harmful changes are interwoven with the likelihood of some positive ones. Namely, the forthcoming proposal would change the data the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses to determine what jobs are available and the capacity needed to perform them. This much-needed switch has been in the works since the Obama administration, in order to replace information that hasn't been updated since 1991 with a newer, more accurate data source. However, making this switch requires intricate details on how to utilize certain data in eligibility decisions. This creates the opportunity to reshape the way disability determinations are made in ways that would keep people from qualifying for benefitsin effect, opening the door to significantly cut disability benefits through regulation.

Preventing people from accessing disability benefits would cause significant harm, especially for older adults and children

The results could be disastrous. Today, half of all adult SSDI beneficiaries under 65 would be living in poverty without SSDI benefitsputting new claimants who cannot access these essential benefits at dire economic risk. For applicants, approval for benefits reduces the likelihood of bankruptcy, foreclosure, or having to sell one's home. For low-income beneficiaries, disability benefits reduce mortality, effectively saving lives. When the Reagan administration made major changes to the disability program in pursuit of cost savings and terminated benefits for hundreds of thousands between 1981 and 1984, at least 7 percentor 21,176of those removed from the rolls had died by June 1987, including individuals who died by suicide after receiving termination letters.

Losing eligibility for disability benefits can also mean losing health insurance. SSI beneficiaries are generally automatically eligible for Medicaid, while SSDI beneficiaries become eligible for Medicare after two years. Reducing access to disability benefitsand, with them, health insurancewould thus compound the effects of the Big Beautiful Bill's Medicare and Medicaid cuts, which especially harm disabled people and seniors. Similarly, receiving SSDI or SSI benefits often exempts individuals from work reporting requirements for programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), along with similar requirements for Medicaid that start in 2027. As a result, exclusion from disability benefits could prevent people from accessing benefits they need to feed themselves and their families.

The anticipated changes would fall especially hard on older adults. As required by law, the SSA takes applicants' age into account when examining disability claims. This reflects both the greater likelihood of experiencing a disability among older adults and the impact of age on applicants' ability to adjust to new work. Currently, the SSA evaluates the claims of those 50 and older using specific criteria based on relative age. However, The Washington Post reports that "officials are considering eliminating age as a factor entirely or raising the threshold to age 60."

People above 50 who are denied SSDI benefits rarely return to working, leaving them to cover the costs of living without either work income or disability benefits. Those denied disability benefits may be forced to file for Social Security retirement benefits earlier than they would have otherwisein effect, substantially cutting their retirement benefits while also exposing them to the impacts of lost disability benefits.

At the same time, these changes would harm kids. In August 2025, more than 1 million children under 18 received SSI benefits for their own disability, while about 950,000 children of disabled workers received benefits based on a parent's disability. Others, like the millions of minors living with adult SSDI or SSI recipients, count on their parents' benefits. More restrictive eligibility rules would deprive too many children and families of these essential lifelines.

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Conclusion

President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised not to touch Social Security. Citing these promises, the White House denied that any changes to Social Security were forthcoming after the plans were reported in the media. Notably, however, the SSA included the plan to propose changes in its regulatory agenda, and an SSA spokesperson confirmed that efforts were underway.

Moreover, the administration has a history of denying changes before taking pernicious actions to deny eligible people basic services. If the Trump administration proceeds with efforts to harmfully reshape Social Security's disability programs through regulatory actions, it would be a devastating breach of President Trump's promisesone that would exact a profound price for too many Americans.