Social Security Caregiver Act of 1993

Summary: Social Security Caregiver Act of 1993 - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to provide for an increase of up to five in the number of years of either zero or low earnings disregarded in determining average annual earnings on which benefits are based provided such years were used to provide care to a child under the age of 12 or to a chronically dependent spouse or relative.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Social Security Caregiver Act of 
1993''.

SEC. 2. INCREASE IN NUMBER OF YEARS DISREGARDED.

    (a) In General.--Section 215(b)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 415(b)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by striking the period at the end of clause (ii) of 
        subparagraph (A) and inserting a comma;
            (2) by striking ``Clause (ii), once'' after and below 
        clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) and inserting the following:
``and reduced further to the extent provided in subparagraph (B). 
Clause (ii), once'';
            (3) by striking ``If an individual'' in the matter 
        following clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) and all that follows 
        through the end of subparagraph (A);
            (4) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (F); 
        and
            (5) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following new 
        subparagraphs:
    ``(B) Subject to subparagraph (C), in any case in which--
            ``(i) in any calendar year which is included in an 
        individual's computation base years--
                    ``(I) such individual is living with a child (of 
                such individual or his or her spouse) under the age of 
                12, or
                    ``(II) such individual is living with a child (of 
                such individual or his or her spouse), a parent (of 
                such individual or his or her spouse), or such 
                individual's spouse while such child, parent, or spouse 
                is a chronically dependent individual,
            ``(ii) such calendar year is not disregarded pursuant to 
        subparagraphs (A) and (E) (in determining such individual's 
        benefit computation years) by reason of the reduction in the 
        number of such individual's elapsed years under subparagraph 
        (A), and
            ``(iii) at any time during or after such calendar year and 
        on or before the date of the application by such individual for 
        benefits based on such individual's wages and self-employment 
        income, such individual submits to the Secretary, in such form 
        as the Secretary shall prescribe by regulations, a written 
        statement that the requirements of clause (i) are met with 
        respect to such calendar year,
then the number by which such elapsed years are reduced under this 
paragraph pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be increased by one (up to 
a combined total not exceeding 5) for each such calendar year.
    ``(C)(i)(I) No calendar year shall be disregarded by reason of 
subparagraph (B) (in determining such individual's benefit computation 
years) unless the individual had less than the applicable dollar amount 
(in effect for such calendar year under this clause) of earnings as 
described in section 203(f)(5) for such year.
    ``(II) Except as otherwise provided in subclause (III), the 
applicable dollar amount in effect under this clause for any calendar 
year is $2,000.
    ``(III) In each calendar year after 1993, the Secretary shall 
determine and publish in the Federal Register, on or before November 1 
of such calendar year, the applicable dollar amount which shall be 
effective under this clause for the next calendar year. Such dollar 
amount shall be equal to the larger of the applicable dollar amount 
which is effective under this clause for the calendar year in which 
such determination is made or, subject to subclause (VII), the product 
described in subclause (IV).
    ``(IV) The product described in this subclause is the product 
derived by multiplying the applicable dollar amount which is effective 
under this clause for the calendar year in which the determination 
under subclause (III) is made, by the ratio of the amount described in 
subclause (V) to the amount described in subclause (VI).
    ``(V) The amount described in this subclause is the deemed average 
total wages (as defined in section 209(k)(1)) for the calendar year 
before the calendar year in which the determination under subclause 
(III) is made.
    ``(VI) The amount described in this subclause is the deemed average 
total wages (as defined in section 209(k)(1)) for 1992 or, if later, 
the calendar year before the most recent calendar year in which a 
determination resulting in an increase in the applicable dollar amount 
was made under subclause (III).
    ``(VII) If the product described in subclause (IV) is not a 
multiple of $1.00, such product shall be rounded to the next higher 
multiple of $1.00 in any case in which such product is a multiple of 
$0.50 but not of $1.00, and to the nearest multiple of $1.00 in any 
other case.
    ``(ii) No calendar year shall be disregarded by reason of 
subparagraph (B) (in determining such individual's benefit computation 
years) in connection with a child referred to in subparagraph (B)(i)(I) 
(and not referred to in subparagraph (B)(i)(II)) unless the individual 
was living with the child substantially throughout the period in such 
year in which the child was alive and under the age of 12 in such year.
    ``(iii) No calendar year shall be disregarded by reason of 
subparagraph (B) (in determining such individual's benefit computation 
years) in connection with a child, parent, or spouse referred to in 
subparagraph (B)(i)(II) unless the individual was living with such 
child, parent, or spouse substantially throughout a period of 180 
consecutive days in such year throughout which such child, parent, or 
spouse was a chronically dependent individual.
    ``(iv) The particular calendar years to be disregarded under this 
subparagraph (in determining such benefit computation years) shall be 
those years (not otherwise disregarded under subparagraph (A)) which, 
before the application of subsection (f), meet the conditions of the 
preceding provisions of this subparagraph.
    ``(v) This subparagraph shall apply only to the extent that its 
application would not result in a lower primary insurance amount.
    ``(D)(i) For purposes of this paragraph, the term `chronically 
dependent individual' means an individual who--
            ``(I) is dependent on a daily basis on another person who 
        is living with the individual and is assisting the individual 
        without monetary compensation in the performance of at least 2 
        of the activities of daily living (described in clause (ii)), 
        and
            ``(II) without such assistance could not perform such 
        activities of daily living.
    ``(ii) The `activities of daily living', referred to in clause (i), 
are the following:
            ``(I) Eating.
            ``(II) Bathing.
            ``(III) Dressing.
            ``(IV) Toileting.
            ``(V) Transferring in and out of a bed or in and out of a 
        chair.
    ``(E) The number of an individual's benefit computation years as 
determined under this paragraph shall in no case be less than 2.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE AND RELATED PROVISIONS.

    (a) In General.--The amendments made by this Act shall apply only 
with respect to computation base years after 1982, and only with 
respect to benefits payable for months after December 1993.
    (b) Notice and Procedures.--
            (1) 60-day grace period after initial issuance of final 
        regulations for current beneficiaries and applicants.--The 
        requirements of clause (iii) of section 215(b)(2)(B) of the 
        Social Security Act (as amended by this Act) shall be treated 
        as satisfied, in the case of a statement--
                    (A) which is filed by an individual who is, as of 
                the date of the first issuance in final form of the 
                regulations required under such clause, a recipient of 
                monthly benefits under section 202(a) or 223 of the 
                Social Security Act, or an applicant for such benefits, 
                and
                    (B) with respect to which the requirements of such 
                clause would be met but for the date of the filing of 
                such statement,
        if such statement is submitted to the Secretary of Health and 
        Human Services not later than 60 days after the date of the 
        first issuance in final form of such regulations.
            (2) Notice requirements.--
                    (A) Notice to current beneficiaries and 
                applicants.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
                shall issue, not later than the date of the first 
                issuance in final form of the regulations required 
                under clause (iii) of section 215(b)(2)(B) of the 
                Social Security Act (as amended by this Act), 
                regulations establishing procedures to ensure that--
                            (i) persons who are, as of such date, 
                        recipients of monthly benefits under section 
                        202(a) or 223 of the Social Security Act, or 
                        applicants for such benefits, are fully 
                        informed of the amendments made by this Act; 
                        and
                            (ii) such persons are invited to comply, 
                        and given a reasonable opportunity to comply, 
                        with the requirements of section 
                        215(b)(2)(B)(iii) of the Social Security Act 
                        (as amended by this Act), as provided in 
                        paragraph (1).
                Upon receiving from a recipient described in clauses 
                (i) and (ii) a written statement referred to in clause 
                (iii) of section 215(b)(2)(B) of the Social Security 
                Act (as amended by this Act) with respect to which the 
                requirements of such clause are treated as satisfied, 
                the Secretary shall redetermine the amount of such 
                benefits to the extent necessary to take into account 
                the amendments made by this Act (and if such 
                redetermination results in an increase in such amount 
                the increase shall be effective as provided in 
                subsection (a)).
                    (B) Notice to future applicants.--Such regulations 
                required under subparagraph (A) shall also provide 
                procedures to ensure that applicants for benefits under 
                section 202(a) or 223 of the Social Security Act are 
                given the opportunity, at the time of their 
                application, to indicate and verify any additional 
                years which may be disregarded under section 
                215(b)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act (as amended by 
                this Act).