Rep. Austin Scott Applauds House Passage of H.R. 8884

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Today, U.S. Representative Austin Scott (GA-08) and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) released the following statement after the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 8884, the Removing Barriers to Work for Disabled Americans Act by a vote of 232-188:

"The Removing Barriers to Work for Disabled Americans Act is about helping disabled Americans pursue opportunities without the fear of losing the benefits that help them live with dignity. This bill would allow the Social Security Administration to pursue scoped demonstration programs while ensuring voluntary participants' overall income is not reduced, giving disabled Americans the chance to build the future they want," said Rep. Scott. "I had the opportunity to take a constituent hunting several years ago who was a double amputee purple heart recipient. He shared with me the defeat as a husband and father wanting to work and take care of his family but being limited on what he can do without losing all benefits and hurting his family more."

"The massive discrepancy between the 60 percent of Americans receiving Social Security Disability Insurance who say they want to work and the less than 1 percent who actually enter the workforce and successfully exit the program each year shows just how much the Social Security Administration's complex rules and regulations are failing to deliver for Americans living with a disability," said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08). "Representative Scott, in particular, has been a champion for so many Purple Heart veterans who could return to work if there were relief from the current restrictive work compensation rules. I commend him for restoring a pathway for millions of disabled individuals, including Purple Heart veterans. The Social Security Administration had this authority to test new pathways in the past, and it desperately needs it again, so we can slash the bureaucratic red tape and empower more individuals with disabilities to achieve the dignity of work. With passage of this bill, we can ensure government programs are lifting people up, not inadvertently holding them back."

H.R. 8884 will reauthorize, through 2031, the Social Security Administration's (SSA's) authority to carry out demonstration projects within the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. The bill also imposes requirements related to beneficiary income, project funding, and SSA reporting.

Under the bill, SSA must ensure that an individual's participation in a demonstration project does not reduce their total income. Further, the bill specifies that administrative expenses related to demonstration projects must be paid from funds appropriated for administration.

Read the full text of the legislation here.