Trump administration plotting 'backdoor cut' to Social Security that will hurt people with disabilities

The Trump administration is being accused of plotting a stealthy cut to Social Security that will make life more difficult for people with disabilities.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that a proposed change to Social Security disability benefits "would result in millions of more case reviews, likely cutting off many disabled recipients, if the changes are enacted."

Jen Burdick, a supervising attorney with Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, tells the Post-Gazette that the rule change amounts to "a backdoor cut to the program" that will cut people off benefits.

The proposed rule change would subject people receiving disability benefits to more frequent reviews, as hundreds of thousands of recipients would be subjected to reviews every two years.

"While a requirement to complete paperwork and submit documentation at the risk of losing monetary benefits and health care would be challenging for anyone, it is likely more difficult, stressful, and time-consuming for disability beneficiaries, who as a group are older, poorer, and sicker than the general population," Barbara Silverstone, executive director of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives, tells the Post-Gazette.

President Donald Trump frequently said during the 2016 presidential campaign that he would not cut Social Security benefits.