Op-Ed Calls for Raising Social Security Disability Cutoff Age

Proposal urges increasing eligibility from 22 to 26 years old to match modern adulthood

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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A Washington Post op-ed argues that the current Social Security rule setting a hard cutoff for "disabled adult child" benefits at age 22 is outdated and no longer fits the realities of contemporary young adulthood. The article proposes raising the eligibility age to 26 to better align with the longer timelines for completing education, gaining work experience, and achieving financial independence that many young adults face today.

Why it matters

The current 22-year-old cutoff for Social Security disability benefits was established decades ago, when the path to adulthood was more linear. Updating this rule to 26 years old would better reflect the extended timelines young people now face in completing their education, establishing careers, and achieving financial stability.

The details

Under the existing Social Security law, individuals who become disabled before age 22 can collect benefits based on a parent's earnings record. However, those who become disabled just after their 22nd birthday are pushed onto their own often limited work history for coverage. The op-ed argues this cutoff assumes an outdated model where people finished school at 18, immediately entered steady jobs, and were financially independent by their early 20s. In reality, many young adults today don't achieve these milestones until their mid-to-late 20s due to factors like longer education timelines and difficulty building meaningful work histories.

  • The current Social Security rule setting a disability benefits cutoff at age 22 has been in place since the 1950s.

The players

APDG Everett

The author of the Washington Post op-ed proposing to raise the Social Security disability benefits cutoff age from 22 to 26.

Washington Post

The newspaper that published the op-ed calling for updating the Social Security disability benefits eligibility age.

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What they’re saying

“Updating that rule would not solve every edge case, nor would it eliminate the need for other targeted reforms. But it would bring Social Security's survivor framework back into alignment with modern adulthood.”

— APDG Everett (Washington Post)

What’s next

The proposal to raise the Social Security disability benefits cutoff age from 22 to 26 would require legislative action by Congress to amend the existing law.

The takeaway

This op-ed highlights how outdated Social Security policies can fail to keep pace with the evolving realities of modern young adulthood, underscoring the need for periodic reviews and updates to government programs to ensure they remain relevant and effective.