Hill seeks revamp of Social Security Disability Insurance benefits

U.S. Rep. French Hill (R-AR) on June 27 sponsored a bicameral bill to modernize Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.

“To ensure that SSDI supports those who need it most and promotes work for those willing and able,” Rep. Hill said, “SSDI reforms are desperately needed.”

The congressman introduced the SSDI Return to Work Act, H.R. 3566, to help individuals receiving disability insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act obtain rehabilitative services and return to the workforce. U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) also on June 27 sponsored the companion bill, the same-named S. 2016, in his chamber.

“For too long, the success of well-intentioned federal programs has been determined by the growth of their funding and not by real-world outcomes,” said Rep. Hill. “After more than 60 years of existence, the SSDI program has morphed into a black hole of abuse and unaccountability that hurts disabled Americans and taxpayers.”

According to Rep. Hill’s office, the SSDI program has ballooned from $20 billion to $143 billion (in 2017 dollars) since 1970, while the number of beneficiaries who leave the program to return to work has declined from almost six percent in 1982 to less than one half of one percent in 2014. 

Rep. Hill said the bill would “ensure the responsible stewardship of program funds and strengthen a valuable safety net for disabled Americans.”

If enacted, the proposal would require that new beneficiaries be classified based on whether medical improvement is expected, according to a summary provided by Rep. Hill’s office. 

If a beneficiary is expected to recover, then the person would be given a timeline and additional resources to obtain employment while on SSDI. Beneficiaries also would be permitted to reapply for disability if they have not recovered, while those who are not expected to recover would have no timeline for program participation.