Making DI Work For All Americans Act of 2018

Bill: 115-hr-6532
Sponsor: Rep. Rokita, Todd [R-IN-4]
Introduced: 2018-07-25 in the House
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Census and government statistics
Congressional oversight
Disability assistance
Economic performance and conditions
Employment and training programs
Government studies and investigations
Health information and medical records
Judges
Labor market
Lawyers and legal services
Legal fees and court costs
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Poverty and welfare assistance
Social Security Administration
Social security and elderly assistance
Unemployment
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2018-07-25
text: 

Making DI Work For All Americans Act of 2018

 
 
 
 This bill revises requirements related to the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits program, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits program, and disability determinations made by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
 
Specifically, the bill:
 
 
applies the judicial code of conduct applicable to U.S. judges to administrative law judges (ALJs) for the SSA, 
 
prohibits the SSA from prescribing certain fees regarding the representation of claimants for OASDI and SSI benefits, 
 
permits the SSA to withhold less than the amount required to correctly adjust a recipient's OASDI benefits amount under certain conditions, 
 
disqualifies an individual from receiving OASDI benefits for any month for which the individual receives unemployment-insurance benefits, 
 
eliminates the application stages for reconsideration reviews of disability determinations, 
 
increases the frequency of benefits-eligibility reviews, and 
 
decreases the amount of time provided to an individual to apply for OASDI benefits and receive funds retroactively from the first month of eligibility.

Additionally, the SSA must: 
 
review a sample of decisions in favor of claimants for OASDI benefits from outlier ALJs, 
 
update the medical-vocational guidelines used in disability determinations, 
 
consider any relevant evidence from a claimant's social media prior to issuing a disability determination, 
 
update the data used to determine the full range of work available to individuals in the national economy, 
 
ensure that communications between the SSA and an individual eligible for OASDI benefits include a description of the individual's responsibility to report to the SSA on any change of circumstance that may affect such individual's eligibility, and 
 
include unearned income in the determination of an individual's substantial gainful activity.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-08-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Social Security.
action_date: 2018-07-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2018-07-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2018-07-25
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2018-07-25
text: Introduced in House