Fairness for Disabled Young Adults Act
Fairness for Disabled Young Adults Act (S. 466) would, in title II of the Social Security Act, raise the age threshold for eligibility for child’s insurance benefits when the basis for eligibility is disability. Specifically, the age limit would move from 22 to 26. The bill also makes conforming changes across several related SSA provisions to reflect the new threshold, ensuring consistency in how disability-based child’s benefits are determined and administered. The intent is to extend protection to disabled young adults who remain dependent or otherwise qualify for these benefits past age 22, such as those in college or early in the workforce, by preventing an automatic loss of benefits at 22. In short, the bill does not create new disability criteria or expanded eligibility beyond the age increase; it changes the cutoff age and adjusts related statutory references so that the same disability-based benefits can continue through age 26.
Key Points
- 1Increases the age ceiling for disability-based child’s insurance benefits from 22 to 26.
- 2Applies this change across multiple Social Security Act provisions to ensure consistent treatment (sections 202(d); 205(j)(2)(C)(vi)(II)(cc); 225(a); 1631(a)(2)(B)(xvii)(II)(cc); and 1634(c)).
- 3The bill is titled the “Fairness for Disabled Young Adults Act,” signaling a policy aim to prevent early loss of benefits for young adults with disabilities.
- 4The underlying disability criteria and the general framework of child’s insurance benefits are not otherwise altered beyond the age change; the eligibility remains subject to existing disability standards.
- 5Expected to affect federal outlays and program participation by extending benefits to a new age group, with cost implications to be assessed in a budget or financing analysis.