WASHINGTON, DC- Today, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John B. Larson (D-CT), and Worker and Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Danny K. Davis (D-IL) released the following statement regarding news that a draft proposed rule that would narrow the eligibility criteria for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits has been sent by the Social Security Administration to the Office of Management and Budget for review:
“Yet again, the Trump Administration is going out of its way to make it harder for people to qualify for the Social Security disability benefits they have earned. Already, fewer than four in 10 applicants are found eligible for Social Security disability benefits, even after all levels of appeal. This rule would reportedly further restrict eligibility for approximately 500,000 Americans, making it even harder for older, severely disabled people to access the essential income they’re qualified to receive. It is outrageous and cruel that at the eleventh hour and in the middle of a pandemic the Trump Administration is trying to advance yet another harmful cut to Social Security benefits for the most vulnerable Americans."
