Federal government officials may revise the criteria governing eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments, which have spiked in recent years even as the program heads toward insolvency.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) began a 60-day comment period Monday on the possibility of a rule change. “We are soliciting public input about how we should consider the vocational factors of age, education, and work experience in adult disability claims under titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act (Act),” the SSA wrote in a notice announcing the comment period. “There have been significant changes in technology use and workforce demographics since we first adopted our vocational factor regulations in 1978. We are requesting public comments, along with any supporting data, to assist in our efforts to streamline, simplify, and ensure the ongoing relevance of our disability-determination programs.”
The number of Americans receiving benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance program rose 42 percent from 2004 to 2014 before appearing to plateau. “The number of Americans receiving [SSDI] benefits hit 10,939,936 in March 2013, and has hovered around that level for the past year,” the Wall Street Journal noted last April. “Applications for benefits surged during the economic downturn, but have eased considerably as the economy has slowly recovered.”
The program could run out of money next year, triggering either a 20 percent cut in benefits for enrollees or a new fight to raise taxes. “The SSDI program is fast approaching insolvency. Immediate major reform is needed to strengthen this program,” Senator James Lankford (R., Okla.) said Friday. “If we don’t reform this program, millions of truly disabled Americans are at risk of losing their much-needed benefits.”
— Joel Gehrke is a political reporter for National Review.