A new Social Security bill has been proposed that would allow some Americans to get their benefits sooner.
Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01) and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) re-introduced the Immediate Access for the Terminally Ill Act in the House and Senate Thursday. If passed, the law would remove the waiting period for terminally ill patients’ access to their Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program benefits.
Why It Matters
Traditionally, Social Security disability recipients get paid on a specific schedule monthly after waiting a five-month period to earn their benefits. However, for terminally ill beneficiaries, this five-month delay can be especially burdensome and affect their quality of life before they inevitably die from their disease.
What To Know
Americans who can’t work due to their terminal illness qualify for SSDI, but they wait five months before earning their benefits due to the SSA’s policies. This is true even when their life expectancy is shorter than the waiting period.
The proposed legislation would fix this by ending the waiting period and enforcing immediate access to benefits.
“No one diagnosed with a terminal illness should spend their final months tangled in government red tape,” Harshbarger said in a statement. “At life’s most difficult moments, families deserve compassion, certainty, and peace of mind. This legislation ensures timely access to earned benefits while remaining fiscally responsible, and I’m proud to work with Senator Mike Lee to make it law.”
Patient advocacy groups, including the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR) and Patients Rising, have so far endorsed the legislation.
“We applaud Representative Harshbarger and Senator Lee for their leadership on this important legislation. NOSSCR supports all efforts to eliminate or limit the 5-month exclusion period, but this is especially critical for the most vulnerable Americans who suffer from fatal diseases with no known cure and short life expectancies. Because many Social Security claimants die, lose savings or homes, and suffer as they wait for 5 months for their earned disability benefits,” David Camp, senior policy advisor for the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR), said in a statement.
The bill specifically applies to eligible disabled Americans with a disease listed on the Social Security Compassionate Allowance List who suffer from a disease with no known cure and have an average life expectancy of five years or less from the date of diagnosis.
Under the law, eligible disabled Americans would have the choice of immediately accessing their monthly SSDI cash benefits in exchange for a 7 percent reduction or waiting the current five-month waiting period and receiving their normal full benefits.
What People Are Saying
Senator Mike Lee said in a statement: “The current 5-month waiting period for disability benefits keeps terminally ill American workers from actually being able to use them in time. Americans suffering from debilitating, life-threatening conditions need a better solution. The Immediate Access for the Terminally Ill Act will give workers a pathway to bypass the burdensome waiting period and receive the help they need for end-of-life care in a timely manner.”
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “It may surprise many Americans that if you have a terminal illness and apply for Social Security Disability Insurance, the wait to start receiving benefits may be longer than your expected life span. The current timeline for benefits includes a burdensome five-month wait, which even for those who are expected to live past that period feels excessive. Under this proposal, there would be an option to immediately qualify to start receiving benefits with a 7 percent cut, while those that opt to wait the current 5-month period receive the full benefit amount.”
Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: “If you would like to get the payments immediately, it would be subject to a 7% reduction. This could help recipients as some that are terminally ill may pass away within the waiting period. I do believe this would pass, but I would like to see a full 100 percent benefit paid out to the individuals, not a reduction. A reduction is not compassion, it’s overreach.”
What Happens Next
This bill could gain widespread bipartisan support, prompting a relatively quick passage, experts say.
“While there are many Social Security-related proposals, this one is more likely to pass thanks to bipartisan support for improved access,” Beene said.
Official Social Security Administration Contact Information
Beneficiaries seeking official information or assistance with Social Security payments can contact the SSA through the following channels:
Social Security Administration (SSA)
Mailing Address:
Social Security Administration
6401 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21235
United States
Official Website:
www.ssa.gov
Toll-Free Phone Number:
1-800-772-1213
TTY (Deaf or Hard of Hearing):
1-800-325-0778
Hours of Operation:
Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time
(Automated services available 24 hours a day)
The SSA recommends using its online services whenever possible for the fastest access to benefit information, payment updates, and account changes.
