Immediate Access for the Terminally Ill Act
Sen. Lee Introduces Bill to End Disability Waiting Period for Terminally Ill Patients
This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the Senate Committee on Finance for review. It is actively moving forward, but no further hearings or votes have been scheduled yet. There is no companion bill currently associated with this legislation.
Legislative Progress
While helping terminally ill patients has broad support, the requirement for a benefit cut and the ban on receiving unemployment insurance will likely face strong opposition from many lawmakers.
Key Points
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Programs
People who currently collect both disability and unemployment benefits would lose one of those income streams. Under this bill, anyone receiving unemployment compensation in a given month would have their disability benefit reduced to zero for that month. This could meaningfully reduce total income for disabled individuals who are trying to return to work while also drawing disability insurance.
“the total of the individual's benefits under section 223 for such month and of any benefits under subsections (b) through (h) of section 202 for such month based on the individual's wages and self-employment income shall be reduced to zero.”
Disabilities
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articles
Rep. Harshbarger introduces Social Security benefits bill
Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.) re-introduced the Immediate Access for the Terminally Ill Act, which aims to provide immediate SSDI benefits to those with incurable illnesses. The legislation includes a provision to reduce monthly payments to 93% for those who opt for immediate access and bars concurrent unemployment claims.
Bill introduced to help terminally ill access SSDI
The Immediate Access for the Terminally Ill Act would eliminate the five-month waiting period for SSDI for patients with conditions on the Compassionate Allowance List. The bill is projected to save $5.6 billion over a decade by reducing benefits for early access and ending concurrent unemployment payments.
Harshbarger introduces Social Security benefits bill
The bill, called the Immediate Access for the Terminally Ill Act, was introduced in both the House and Senate. It would allow people with a terminal illness immediate access to SSDI benefits in exchange for a 7% reduction in cash benefits, while also prohibiting simultaneous access to unemployment benefits.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Immediate Access for the Terminally Ill Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.