FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact (202) 225-9263
March 4, 1999
No. SS-4
Congressman E. Clay Shaw, Jr., (R-FL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on barriers preventing Social Security disability beneficiaries from returning to work. The hearing will take place on Thursday, March 11, 1999, in the main Committee hearing room, 1100 Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Oral testimony will be heard from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include program experts, representatives of organizations promoting the self-sufficiency of people with disabilities, providers of services assisting return to work efforts, and consumers and potential consumers of those services. 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:
Social Security's disability programs help protect workers and their families against financial hardship if workers experience disabling conditions that prevent them from working. Between 1988 and 1998, the number of working-age recipients on the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability rolls increased 60 percent. Today, there are
4.7 million individuals receiving Social Security disability benefits and 4.3 million receiving SSI disability benefits. In addition, disabled recipients are staying on the rolls longer than in the past because of increased life expectancy, earlier onset of disability, and increased awards for mental impairments, which manifest at younger ages.
In 1996, fewer than six percent of new disability recipients were referred to State vocational rehabilitation agencies for services, and historically less than one-half of one percent of disabled recipients have left the rolls because of successful rehabilitation. These facts underscore the need for initiatives designed to encourage those disabled recipients who want to receive rehabilitation services and to re-enter the workforce.
To help Social Security and SSI disability recipients who want to return to self sufficiency, H.R. 3433, the "Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Act," was introduced by then Subcommittee Chairman Jim Bunning and Ranking Minority Member Barbara Kennelly, and was passed overwhelmingly by the House by a vote of 410 to 1 during the 105th Congress. No action was taken by the Senate.
However, during the 106th Congress, S. 331, the "Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999," has been introduced in the Senate and approved by the Finance Committee. Many of the provisions in H.R. 3433 are included in this legislation.
In announcing the hearing, Chairman Shaw stated: "Many individuals with disabilities can and want to work, but the current system offers barriers, not opportunities. Everyone should participate in, and benefit from, our booming economy. The time to act to provide real hope and opportunity for disabled workers is now."
FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
During the hearing, the Subcommittee will consider the views of program experts, consumers, and service providers on the barriers which prevent disability recipients from returning to work. The Subcommittee will also evaluate recommendations on what changes in the law are needed to remove those barriers.
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 5.1 format, with their name, address, and hearing date noted on a label, by the close of business, Thursday, March 25, 1999, 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 5.1 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.