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1 1 (December 7, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govddaj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Servik The ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019 (S. 578) December 7, 2020 On December 2, 2020, the Senate passed the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019 (S. 578), which would amend the Social Security Act to eliminate the five-month waiting period for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits for disabled workers with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This Insight discusses the waiting period for SSDI and congressional action on S. 578. SSDI SSDI provides benefits to non-elderly disabled workers and their eligible dependents. To qualify, individuals must have worked for a sufficient period in Social Security-covered employment and be unable to perform substantial work due to any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that is expected to last for at least 12 months or result in death. Disabled workers are automatically entitled to Medicare after 24 months of entitlement to SSDI. In October 2020, SSDI provided benefits to 8.2 million disabled workers and 1.5 million dependents. Five-Month Waiting Period Disabled workers must satisfy a five-month waiting period before they become entitled to cash benefits. The waiting period ends five full consecutive calendar months after a claimant's disability onset date, which is the first day a claimant meets (1) the definition of disability under Title II of the Social Security Act and (2) all other entitlement requirements. For example, if a claimant's onset date were April 11, the waiting period would begin on May 1 and would end on September 30. Under current law, there are no impairment-related exceptions to the five-month waiting period for disabled workers with certain medical conditions, even those considered terminal. Rationale for the Waiting Period Since SSDI was enacted in 1956, disabled workers have been required to serve a non-compensatory waiting period. Originally, lawmakers required disabled workers to serve a six-month waiting period, which was the standard used by most private insurance companies. Lawmakers later reducedthe Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11551 CRS NSIGHT Prepared for Membersand Commi ----es o Cong rss----------------------------------

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