Is the Social Security Administration preparing to bar 500,000 Americans from getting benefits? - AMAC & The Hill
David A. Weaver, Ph.D., is an economist and retired federal employee who has authored a number of studies on Social Security. Writing in The Hill, Weaver speaks out against a Social Security Administration (SSA) proposed rule change that would make it harder for older workers to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. By law (not regulation), SSA must consider age, education and work experience when determining whether a person meets the statutory definition of disability. Current rules acknowledge that older workers will have more difficulty in adjusting to occupational requirements in the national economy following the onset of a serious disability. SSA’s proposed new regulation would likely undo these rules to a large extent, making it harder for older workers to qualify. Weaver expects the SSA’s effort to focus the effort on the word “modernization” by suggesting that the “modern” economy provides many jobs that even a displaced and disabled older worker can do. Weaver ends the op-ed by suggesting the incoming Biden Administration may have to review any last minute rule changes. Full article here.