The Washington Post is reporting on a plan by the Trump administration that could make it much harder for older Americans to be approved for disability, and potentially take away benefits from millions already approved.
One of the most important parts of disability law is what attorneys call the Grid Rules. What these rules essentially mean is that once a claimant reaches age 50, their age makes it much more difficulty for them to find work or adjust to other work. The Social Security Administration weighs this, and it easier to be approved for disability benefits at this point.
The rules are relaxed even more at ages 55 and 60, and further take into account educational background and the nature of past work.
It’s a good system. It works. It helps a lot of people.
But according to the Washington Post, the Trump administration is now planning to either eliminate age as a consideration for disability, or only take it into account as of age 60.
This could potentially be devastating for millions of people who rely on these benefits as it could keep them from being approved. It’s also currently unclear if those receiving benefits would have them taken away under the plan.
Another idea under consideration would be to modernize the labor data considered by Social Security. Depending on how this is done, it could actually be beneficial to claimants, as the data currently used by SSA is known to be woefully out of date.
Nothing has been formally announced yet, and no doubt any major changes to the disability system would be challenged in court, so these are proposals that disability attorneys will be keeping a close eye on.
