This bill establishes a 20-year federal demonstration project to test modified Social Security disability benefits for blind individuals, beginning within 180 days of enactment. Under the project, blind individuals receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits would have their earnings treated differently—they could work and earn money without losing benefits as quickly as current rules allow, with benefits reduced by only $1 for every $2 earned above a certain threshold rather than terminating benefits entirely due to work income. The project would eliminate the standard trial work period and allow blind beneficiaries to continue receiving benefits indefinitely based on their work activity rather than being cut off after earning too much. Blind individuals who begin receiving benefits during the first ten years of the project could choose to exit the demonstration project after that initial period. The Social Security Commissioner has authority to waive certain regulatory requirements as needed to implement and test this new approach.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.