FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 6, 2000
No. SS-20
Oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include representatives of the U.S. General Accounting Office, disability experts, and advocates for people with disabilities. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.
BACKGROUND:
The SSDI and SSI programs provide cash benefits to individuals who are unable to work because of severe disabilities. In 1999, nearly five million disabled workers and their families received more than $50 billion from the SSDI program, and four million low-income disabled adults received $24 billion from SSI. Most of these beneficiaries also received health insurance through Medicare and Medicaid because they qualified for this cash assistance.
The Social Security Act first addressed the issue of disability in 1952 by excluding income earned while disabled from the computation of retirement benefits. The 1954 amendments provided cash benefits, but only for disabled individuals who were at least age 50. The lower age limit was removed in 1960. The definition of disability has remained essentially unchanged since the beginning of the SSDI program, and the same definition was adopted for the SSI program when it began providing benefits for low-income people with disabilities in 1974.
In recent years, numerous technological and medical advances, coupled with a growing economy, have created the potential for more people with disabilities to achieve independence. In addition, the "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990" (P.L. 101-336), has helped promote the full participation of people with disabilities in society and has fostered the expectation that people with disabilities can work and have the right to work. The "Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999" (P.L. 106-170), provided new opportunities for adults receiving public benefits to pursue work without fear of losing all benefits.
The safety net provided by the Social Security disability program is critically important for individuals with disabilities and their families. Maintaining the safety net will be particularly challenging in coming decades, when, like Social Security, the disability program faces financial challenge. According to the 2000 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees, beginning in 2007, the Disability Insurance Trust Fund is projected to run cash deficits and by 2023, the trust fund assets will be exhausted.
In announcing the hearing, Chairman Shaw stated: "Social Security's disability programs have provided vital assistance for people with disabilities for nearly 50 years. Fortunately, today individuals with disabilities have opportunities and supports never imagined in years past. As we enter the 21st century, we need to ensure Social Security disability programs continue to meet the changing needs of people with disabilities."
FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
The hearing will focus on the characteristics of people with severe disabilities and will identify the supports needed to achieve independence. The hearing will also examine how disability systems in other countries as well as in the private sector have adapted to meet the changing needs of people with disabilities.
DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:
Any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should submit six (6) single-spaced copies of their statement, along with an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect or MS Word format, with their name, address, and hearing date noted on a label, by the close of business, Thursday, July 27, 2000, to A.L. Singleton, Chief of Staff, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. If those filing written statements wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing, they may deliver 200 additional copies for this purpose to the Subcommittee on Social Security office, room B-316 Rayburn House Office Building, by close of business the day before the hearing.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:
Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
1. All statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted on an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect or MS Word format, typed in single space and may not exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.
2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
3. A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting written comments in response to a published request for comments by the Committee, must include on his statement or submission a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.
4. A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers where the witness or the designated representative may be reached. This supplemental sheet will not be included in the printed record.
The above restrictions and limitations apply only to material being submitted for printing. Statements and exhibits or supplementary material submitted solely for distribution to the Members, the press, and the public during the course of a public hearing may be submitted in other forms.
The
Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with
disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please
call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event
(four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to
special accommodation needs in general (including availability of
Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the
Committee as noted above.