I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5024 

To amend title II of the Social Security Act to credit prospectively individuals 

serving as caregivers of dependent relatives with deemed wages for up 

to five years of such service. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 8, 2014 

Mrs. LOWEY (for herself, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. MOORE, Ms. KAPTUR, Ms. 

DELAURO, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. KUSTER, Ms. SCHWARTZ, and Mr. 

MCDERMOTT) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To amend title II of the Social Security Act to credit prospectively individuals serving as caregivers of dependent 

relatives with deemed wages for up to five years of 

such service. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Social Security Care5 giver Credit Act of 2014’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that: 


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1 (1) Caregiving is an essential element of family 

2 life and a vital service for children, the ill, the dis3 abled, and the elderly. 

4 (2) The establishment of a caregiver credit 

5 would bolster the economic prospects of unpaid care6 givers and would provide them with vital retirement 

7 security. 

8 (3) The 2013 Annual Report of the Board of 

9 Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors In10 surance and Federal Disability Insurance Trust 

11 Funds concluded that the combined Trust Funds 

12 will be able to pay scheduled benefits in full until 

13 2033. 

14 (4) While there is no immediate crisis, policy 

15 options should be considered to extend OASDI sol16 vency, including by eradicating the gender wage gap, 

17 increasing overall employment, or increasing the 

18 minimum wage. 

19 SEC. 3. DEEMED WAGES FOR CAREGIVERS OF DEPENDENT 

20 RELATIVES. 

21 Title II of the Social Security Act is amended by add22 ing after section 234 (42 U.S.C. 434) the following new 

23 section: 


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1 ‘‘DEEMED WAGES FOR CAREGIVERS OF DEPENDENT

2 RELATIVES

3 ‘‘SEC. 235. (a) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this 

4 section— 

5 ‘‘(1) The term ‘qualifying month’ means, in 

6 connection with an individual, a month during which 

7 such individual was engaged for not less than 80 

8 hours in providing care to a dependent relative with9 out monetary compensation. Such term does not in10 clude any month ending after the date on which 

11 such individual attains retirement age (as defined in 

12 section 216(l)). 

13 ‘‘(2) The term ‘dependent relative’ means, in 

14 connection with an individual— 

15 ‘‘(A) a child, grandchild, niece, or nephew 

16 (of such individual or such individual’s spouse 

17 or domestic partner) who is under the age of 

18 12, or 

19 ‘‘(B) a child, grandchild, niece, or nephew 

20 (of such individual or such individual’s spouse 

21 or domestic partner), a parent, aunt, or uncle 

22 (of such individual or his or her spouse or do23 mestic partner), or such individual’s spouse or 

24 domestic partner, if such child, grandchild, 

25 niece, nephew, parent, aunt, uncle, spouse, or 


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1 domestic partner is a chronically dependent in2 dividual. 

3 ‘‘(3)(A) The term ‘chronically dependent indi4 vidual’ means an individual who— 

5 ‘‘(i) is dependent on a daily basis on verbal 

6 reminding, physical cueing, supervision, or 

7 other assistance provided to the individual by 

8 another person in the performance of at least 

9 two of the activities of daily living (described in 

10 subparagraph (B)), and 

11 ‘‘(ii) without the assistance described in 

12 clause (i), could not perform such activities of 

13 daily living. 

14 ‘‘(B) The ‘activities of daily living’ referred to 

15 in subparagraph (A) are the following: 

16 ‘‘(i) Eating. 

17 ‘‘(ii) Bathing. 

18 ‘‘(iii) Dressing. 

19 ‘‘(iv) Toileting. 

20 ‘‘(v) Transferring in and out of a bed or 

21 in and out of a chair. 

22 ‘‘(b) DEEMED WAGES OF CAREGIVER.—(1)(A) For 

23 purposes of determining entitlement to and the amount 

24 of any monthly benefit for any month after December 

25 2014, or entitlement to and the amount of any lump-sum 


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1 death payment in the case of a death after such month, 

2 payable under this title on the basis of the wages and self3 employment income of any individual, and for purposes 

4 of section 216(i)(3), such individual shall be deemed to 

5 have been paid during each qualifying month (in addition 

6 to wages or self-employment income actually paid to or 

7 derived by such individual during such month) at an 

8 amount per month equal to— 

9 ‘‘(i) in the case of a qualifying month during 

10 which no wages or self-employment income were ac11 tually paid to or derived by such individual, 50 per12 cent of the average amount of wages and self-em13 ployment income otherwise credited to individuals 

14 for such month under this title; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) in the case of any other qualifying month, 

16 the excess of the amount determined under clause (i) 

over 1 17 ⁄2 of the wages or self-employment income ac18 tually paid to or derived by such individual during 

19 such month. 

20 ‘‘(B) In any case in which there are more than 60 

21 qualifying months for an individual, only the last 60 of 

22 such months shall be taken into account for purposes of 

23 this section. 

24 ‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) shall not be applicable in the case 

25 of any monthly benefit or lump-sum death payment if a 


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1 larger such benefit or payment, as the case may be, would 

2 be payable without its application. 

3 ‘‘(c) IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.—A qualifying 

4 month shall not be taken into account under this section 

5 with respect to an individual unless such individual pro6 vides the Commissioner of Social Security with the name 

7 and identifying information of the dependent relative with 

8 respect to whom the individual was engaged in providing 

9 care during such month, and other information as the 

10 Commissioner may require to verify the status of the de11 pendent relative, on whatever application may be required 

12 to obtain benefits under this section.’’. 

Æ 


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