The Social Security Administration (SSA) has backed away from a plan that would have fundamentally altered how disability claims are evaluated, particularly for older Americans.
The abandoned proposal, never formally published but widely discussed among officials, would have changed how age factors into the approval process for two major federal disability programs.
According to reporting from The Washington Post, the agency had been preparing a significant shift that would either remove age as a factor altogether or raise the age threshold used in disability determinations.
While the details were never released publicly, the plan was reportedly far along, with some expecting an official announcement as early as December.
A White House spokesperson, however, pushed back on the speculation, stating that “Despite media speculation about a potential rule change, the White House has not seen any such proposal.”
The draft rule, if implemented, would have represented one of the most consequential revisions to disability-benefit criteria in decades.
Traditionally, the SSA considers older applicants less able to transition into new types of work when assessing whether they qualify for benefits.
Eliminating or reducing the role of age would have made qualifying for assistance significantly harder for older workers with disabilities who already struggle to remain in the labor force.
Why the withdrawn proposal drew strong reactions
Though the SSA never officially released the proposal, its expected structure quickly drew concern from disability-rights advocates, legal experts, and lawmakers.
Early analyses of comparable proposals suggested that scaling back eligibility factors by roughly 10% could eventually result in about 750,000 fewer people receiving benefits over a decade, changes projected to save tens of billions of dollars but at substantial human cost.
Supporters of tighter criteria argued that the disability programs urgently need modernization.
The SSA has highlighted the need to update work-capacity assessments and incorporate more current labor-market data, which they say could create a more accurate and financially sustainable system.
Opponents countered that the shift would disproportionately harm older and medically vulnerable Americans, effectively forcing many into early retirement, and therefore into permanently reduced Social Security payments, or leaving them without meaningful income support altogether.
For individuals in physically demanding fields, advocates argued, retraining or switching careers late in life is often unrealistic.
With the proposal now withdrawn, existing standards remain unchanged. Age will continue to play a role in disability evaluations, and applicants will not face the tighter criteria that had been under consideration.
The decision brings temporary reassurance for beneficiaries, though many observers believe similar proposals may resurface as debates over Social Security‘s financial future continue.
For now, the SSA‘s reversal underscores the agency’s ongoing struggle to balance fiscal pressure with the needs of millions of Americans who rely on disability benefits for stability and survival.