I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6427 
To amend title II of the Social Security Act to allow disabled individuals 
with incurable terminal illnesses listed on the Compassionate Allowance 
list to receive disability insurance benefits without a waiting period, 
to prohibit concurrent receipt of disability insurance benefits and unem-
ployment insurance, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 15, 2023 
Mrs. HARSHBARGER 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 allow disabled 
individuals with incurable terminal illnesses listed on the 
Compassionate Allowance list to receive disability insur-
ance benefits without a waiting period, to prohibit con-
current receipt of disability insurance benefits and unem-
ployment insurance, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Immediate Access for 
the Terminally Ill Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. OPTION FOR DISABLED INDIVIDUALS WITH INCUR-
ABLE TERMINAL ILLNESSES LISTED ON THE 
COMPASSIONATE ALLOWANCE LIST TO RE-
CEIVE 
DISABILITY 
INSURANCE 
BENEFITS 
WITHOUT A WAITING PERIOD. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 223 of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 423) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1), in the matter following 
subparagraph (E)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘and who files an applica-
tion for disability insurance benefits during the 
period that begins on December 22, 2020, and 
ends on the date that is 1 year after the date 
of enactment of the Immediate Access for the 
Terminally Ill Act’’ after ‘‘amyotrophic lateral 
sclerosis’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘, or (iii)’’ and inserting ‘‘, 
(iii) in the case of an individual who makes an 
election under subsection (k), for each month 
beginning with the first month during all of 
which the individual is under a disability and in 
which the individual becomes entitled to such 
insurance benefits, or (iv)’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
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‘‘(k) OPTION
FOR DISABLED INDIVIDUALS WITH 
TERMINAL ILLNESSES TO RECEIVE DISABILITY INSUR-
ANCE BENEFITS WITHOUT A WAITING PERIOD.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An individual who is enti-
tled to a disability insurance benefit and has been 
diagnosed with a medical condition or disease that 
is included in the most recent list published by the 
Commissioner of Social Security under paragraph 
(2) may elect to receive such benefit beginning with 
the first month during all of which the individual is 
under a disability and in which the individual be-
comes entitled to such benefit. 
‘‘(2) PUBLICATION OF LIST.—Not later than 6 
months after the date of enactment of this sub-
section, and every 5 years thereafter, the Commis-
sioner of Social Security shall, through a formal 
rulemaking process in accordance with sections 556 
and 557 of title 5, United States Code, publish a list 
of medical conditions and diseases— 
‘‘(A) which are included in the most recent 
list of Compassionate Allowance Conditions 
published by the Social Security Administra-
tion; 
‘‘(B) for which the average life expectancy 
for all individuals diagnosed with such condition 
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