2025 OASDI Trustees Report

H. ANALYSIS OF BENEFIT PAYMENTS FROM THE OASI
TRUST FUND WITH RESPECT TO DISABLED BENEFICIARIES

(Required by section 201(c) of the Social Security Act)

Effective January 1957, the OASI Trust Fund pays monthly benefits to disabled children aged 18 and over of retired and deceased workers if the disability began before age 18. The age by which disability must have begun was later changed to age 22.

Effective February 1968, the OASI Trust Fund pays reduced monthly benefits to disabled widows and widowers at ages 50 and over. The requirements for the disability of the widow or widower were made less restrictive effective January 1991.

At the end of 2024, the OASI Trust Fund was providing monthly benefit payments to about 1.2 million people on the basis of their disabilities or the disabilities of children. This total includes approximately 20,000 mothers and fathers (wives or husbands under normal retirement age of retired-worker beneficiaries and widows or widowers of deceased insured workers) who met all other qualifying requirements and were receiving unreduced benefits solely because they had disabled-child beneficiaries (or disabled children aged 16 or 17) in their care. The 1.2 million people excludes disabled widows and widowers who are age 60 and older, because beginning at age 60, these beneficiaries are not required to be disabled to be eligible for a nondisabled aged widow or widower benefit. The aged widow or widower benefit they are eligible for is equal in amount to the disabled widow or widower benefit. Therefore, they are not receiving benefits solely because of a disability.

In calendar year 2024, the OASI Trust Fund paid a total of $15.8 billion in benefits to the people described above. Table VI.H1 shows OASI scheduled benefits for disability for selected calendar years during 1960 through 2024 and estimates for 2025 through 2034 based on the intermediate set of assumptions.

Table VI.H1.—Scheduled Benefit Payments From the OASI Trust Fund
With Respect to Disabled Beneficiaries 

[Beneficiaries in thousands; scheduled benefits in millions]

Calendar year		Disabled beneficiaries, end of year				Amount of scheduled benefitsa b
		Total	Childrenc	Widows- widowersd		Total	Children c	Widows- widowers  e
Historical data:
	1960	117	117	—		$59	$59	—
	1965	214	214	—		134	134	—
	1970	316	281	36		301	260	$41
	1975	435	376	58		664	560	104
	1980	519	460	59		1,223	1,097	126
	1985	594	547	47		2,072	1,885	187
	1990	662	613	49		2,882	2,649	233
	1995	772	681	91		4,202	3,672	531
	2000	811	707	104		5,203	4,523	680
	2005	836	728	108		6,449	5,556	834
	2010	996	879	117		8,671	7,662	1,008
	2015	1,096	972	124		10,640	9,528	1,109
	2016	1,109	988	121		10,909	9,818	1,087
	2017	1,124	1,006	117		11,222	10,156	1,061
	2018	1,139	1,027	112		11,767	10,729	1,031
	2019	1,144	1,041	103		12,148	11,152	983
	2020	1,147	1,051	95		12,351	11,403	934
	2021	1,136	1,050	86		12,453	11,578	861
	2022	1,128	1,051	78		13,266	12,414	829
	2023	1,126	1,057	70		14,587	13,746	821
	2024	1,165	1,098	66		15,814	14,995	805
Estimates under the intermediate assumptions:
	2025	1,179	1,112	67		18,876	17,941	915
	2026	1,197	1,127	69		17,318	16,426	873
	2027	1,213	1,142	71		18,085	17,150	915
	2028	1,228	1,157	71		18,824	17,859	945
	2029	1,242	1,173	69		19,580	18,605	954
	2030	1,254	1,188	65		20,338	19,388	929
	2031	1,266	1,203	63		21,128	20,183	924
	2032	1,279	1,216	63		21,956	20,996	939
	2033	1,294	1,231	64		22,868	21,869	976
	2034	1,307	1,244	63		23,769	22,747	999

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a

Beginning in 1966, includes payments for vocational rehabilitation services.

b

Amounts for 2020 and 2021 are adjusted to include in 2021 operations those benefit payments regularly scheduled in the law to be paid on January 3, 2021, which were actually paid on December 31, 2020 as required by the statutory provision for early benefit payments when the normal delivery date is on a weekend or holiday. Such shifts in payments across calendar years have occurred in the past, including in 2016, and will occur periodically in the future whenever January 3rd falls on a Sunday. In order to provide a consistent perspective on trust fund operations over time, all trust fund operations in each year reflect the 12 months of benefits that are regularly scheduled for payment in that year.

c

Also includes certain mothers and fathers (see text).

d

In 1984 and later years, includes only disabled widows and widowers aged 50-59, because disabled widows and widowers age 60 and older are eligible for the same benefit as a nondisabled aged widow or widower. Therefore, they are not receiving benefits solely because of a disability.

e

In 1983 and prior years, includes the offsetting effect of lower benefits payable to disabled widows and widowers who continued to receive benefits after attaining age 60 (62, for disabled widowers prior to 1973), compared to the higher nondisabled widow’s and widower’s benefits that would otherwise be payable. In 1984 and later years, includes only scheduled benefits to disabled widows and widowers aged 50-59 (see footnote d).

Note: Components may not sum to totals because of rounding.

Under the intermediate assumptions, estimated total scheduled benefits paid from the OASI Trust Fund with respect to disabled beneficiaries will increase from $18.9 billion in calendar year 2025 to $23.8 billion in calendar year 2034.

In calendar year 2024, benefit payments (including payments for vocational rehabilitation services) with respect to disabled persons from the OASI Trust Fund and from the DI Trust Fund (including payments from the DI fund to all children and spouses of disabled-worker beneficiaries) totaled $170.9 billion. Of this amount, $15.8 billion, or 9.3 percent, represented payments from the OASI Trust Fund. Table VI.H2 contains these and similar figures for selected calendar years during 1960 through 2024 and estimates for calendar years 2025 through 2034.

Table VI.H2.—Scheduled Benefit Paymentsa Under the OASDI Program
With Respect to Disabled Beneficiaries 

[Amounts in millions]

Calendar year		Totalb	DI Trust Fundb c	OASI Trust Fundb
				Amountd	Percentage of total
Historical data:
	1960	$627	$568	$59	9.4
	1965	1,707	1,573	134	7.9
	1970	3,386	3,085	301	8.9
	1975	9,169	8,505	664	7.2
	1980	16,738	15,515	1,223	7.3
	1985	20,908	18,836	2,072	9.9
	1990	27,717	24,835	2,882	10.4
	1995	45,140	40,937	4,202	9.3
	2000	60,204	55,001	5,203	8.6
	2005	91,835	85,386	6,449	7.0
	2010	132,916	124,245	8,671	6.5
	2015	154,028	143,388	10,640	6.9
	2016	153,709	142,800	10,909	7.1
	2017	154,048	142,826	11,222	7.3
	2018	155,526	143,760	11,767	7.6
	2019	157,289	145,141	12,148	7.7
	2020	155,933	143,582	12,351	7.9
	2021	152,538	140,085	12,453	8.2
	2022	156,861	143,595	13,266	8.5
	2023	166,533	151,946	14,587	8.8
	2024	170,864	155,049	15,814	9.3
Estimates under the intermediate assumptions:
	2025	185,411	166,534	18,876	10.2
	2026	196,005	178,687	17,318	8.8
	2027	205,469	187,384	18,085	8.8
	2028	208,593	189,769	18,824	9.0
	2029	211,569	191,989	19,580	9.3
	2030	215,117	194,779	20,338	9.5
	2031	222,023	200,895	21,128	9.5
	2032	229,952	207,996	21,956	9.5
	2033	239,180	216,312	22,868	9.6
	2034	249,231	225,463	23,769	9.5

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a

Amounts for 2020 and 2021 are adjusted to include in 2021 operations those benefit payments regularly scheduled in the law to be paid on January 3, 2021, which were actually paid on December 31, 2020 as required by the statutory provision for early benefit payments when the normal delivery date is on a weekend or holiday. Such shifts in payments across calendar years have occurred in the past, including in 2016, and will occur periodically in the future whenever January 3rd falls on a Sunday. In order to provide a consistent perspective on trust fund operations over time, all trust fund operations in each year reflect the 12 months of benefits that are regularly scheduled for payment in that year.

b

Beginning in 1966, includes payments for vocational rehabilitation services.

c

Scheduled benefits paid to disabled workers and their eligible children and spouses.

d

Scheduled benefits paid to disabled children aged 18 and over, mothers and fathers receiving a benefit based on the disability of a child in their care, and disabled widows and widowers aged 50-59. See text and footnotes d and e of table VI.H1 for more information.

Note: Components may not sum to totals because of rounding.