Inability to Speak English No Longer Considered in Federal Disability Programs

People line up outside the Social Security Administration office in in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 2, 2005. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) has removed a Carter-era rule that makes lacking proficiency in English a factor when determining who qualifies to receive federal disability benefits.

The new SSA regulation, “Removing the Inability to Communicate in English as an Education Category,” updates a disability rule that remained unchanged since it was first introduced in 1978.