When Donald Trump ran for the presidency, the main agenda was to bring down inflation and make the lives of everyday Americans easier. However, Trump’s current policies do not seem to be going that way.
The Trump administration is apparently developing a whole new way to calculate eligibility for Social Security disability benefits. This move could make the process of seeking social security benefits difficult for the retirees.
The reforms being placed on the table would do away with or significantly cut back the emphasis on age in disability evaluations. Experts say it is a step that risks undermining access for half a million Americans.
Social Security will propose changes to who can receive disability benefits that will either no longer consider older age as a reason people can’t get a job or raise the age to 60, per people familiar. https://t.co/z3gbLydi9m
— Meryl Kornfield (@MerylKornfield) October 5, 2025
The Social Security Administration today takes an individual’s age, education level, and work history into account when determining whether an individual is disabled and whether they can or cannot accommodate other forms of employment.
Older recipients of social security, especially those older than 50, have always benefitted from the inclusion of age as a restricting factor in restraining or relocation.
Under the new plans, age may no longer be a factor, or the cut-off may be increased (e.g., to age 60). The administration also intends to update the outdated work database. This database has been employed to assess claimants’ capability to switch into alternate employment. It will now substitute out-of-date work options like “telephone quotation clerk” or “nut sorter” with an overhauled system that is responsive to current job markets.
Experts have calculated that if the eligibility criteria are tightened just by 10%, there will be almost 750,000 fewer people claiming disability benefits in the next decade. In addition, there will be 80,000 fewer widows and children receiving any kind of federal support.
This move will save over $82 billion over the next 10 years.
Sources have reported that these suggestions and efforts to curb the federal funding for social security comes from Russell Vought. He is currently the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought is also a noted advocate of deeper restructuring of federal programs.
However, there are several people who find these suggestions abhorrent and claim that what the Vought has been align with the Project 2025 agenda. This alignment signals that Vought agrees with Project 2025, which intends to shift the power significantly to the executive branch and is not in favor of several federal social safety nets in place.
However Vought has found himself several supporters who argue that the rising life expectancy and availability of jobs that are less physically demanding justify the raising the bar for disability eligibility.
However, disability groups and most Democratic lawmakers are concerned. Representative John Larson (D-Conn.) has called the proposed changes “cruel, reckless.” He has called it an attack on Americans who have contributed to the system and now rely on its benefits.
For several of the nation’s older citizens with health impairments, eliminating age as a consideration would push them into premature retirement on lesser benefits or having to completely forfeit the benefits. Several denied disability claimants can realistically not rejoin the workforce because of physical or mental limitations.
This move isn’t isolated. The administration is also considering the eligibility rules for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which could affect up to 400,000 people.
The plan has provoked heated political discussion. Democrats are accusing Trump of going back on campaign vows to defend Social Security, while Republicans say it needs modernization. Senator Elizabeth Warren has alleged that Trump is “plotting” to reduce benefits for seniors.
