NCD recommends Senate committee support CRP employment benefits for disabled workers

NCD recommends Senate committee support CRP employment benefits for disabled workers

March 25, 2026

WASHINGTON-The National Council on Disability on Monday advised the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Workforce concerning employee benefits and protections affecting disabled workers in Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs) following a recent Committee field hearing that examined CRPs.

In a letter to Chairman Tim Walberg and Ranking Member Robert "Bobby" Scott, NCD Acting Chairman Neil Romano referenced NCD's history of focusing on employment circumstances of disabled workers in CRPs and drew attention to NCD's latest research on the tax misclassification of workers with disabilities who work in these settings.

Specifically, NCD warned that workers who are tax misclassified as "rehabilitation clients" in CRPs are left ineligible for employment benefits and protections as well as participation in Internal Revenue Service (IRS) anti-poverty programs - and this despite their employment status under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

In his letter, Chairman Romano noted that in its research, NCD identified employment dispute cases where CRPs relied on outdated tax loopholes, in the form of exemptions, to deny employment benefits to employees with disabilities. Romano's letter detailed how NCD's investigation uncovered online bulletins with posts from tax attorneys and accountants explaining how a 1965 IRS loophole allows CRPs to misclassify workers with disabilities as "rehabilitation clients" long after their rehabilitation program has concluded.

Accordingly, Chairman Romano recommended oversight of CRPs to ensure workers with disabilities are properly classified as "employees" and receiving employment benefits and protections.

"NCD stands ready to brief the Committee on this recent research and encourages the Committee to examine the employment classification of workers with disabilities working in CRPs…to ensure that workers with disabilities have the same benefits and protections as non-disabled workers," wrote Romano.

Read the full statement at NCD.gov.