[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1451 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1451

To establish an Office of Outreach Coordination in the Social Security 
   Administration to coordinate outreach activities and services, to 
  provide grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations for 
       outreach activities and services, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 13 (legislative day, September 7), 1993

  Mr. Riegle introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish an Office of Outreach Coordination in the Social Security 
   Administration to coordinate outreach activities and services, to 
  provide grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations for 
       outreach activities and services, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``SSI Outreach Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) many individuals, including senior citizens, homeless 
        individuals, children, and disabled individuals, face 
        extraordinary difficulties in securing benefits under the 
        Social Security Act, the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and other 
        Federal programs, to which they are otherwise entitled;
            (2) without the benefits under such programs these 
        individuals, lacking any resources, are unable to secure other 
        vital necessities;
            (3) many barriers exist that prevent potentially eligible 
        individuals from securing benefits under such programs, 
        including--
                    (A) communication barriers such as illiteracy in 
                English or a foreign language and sensory impairments;
                    (B) disabilities which limit mobility and 
                connections to social services organizations;
                    (C) homelessness often coupled with mental illness, 
                drug addiction, or alcoholism;
                    (D) distrust or fear of government bureaucracy;
                    (E) concern that eligibility will preclude future 
                work attempts;
                    (F) lack of transportation;
                    (G) lack of access to a telephone;
                    (H) lack of an understanding of how to contact 
                Social Security Administration field offices;
                    (I) lack of any connections to social service 
                organizations; and
                    (J) cognitive or other mental impairments which 
                limit a person's ability to understand benefits, 
                rights, or procedures.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to overcome the 
barriers to securing benefits under the Social Security Act and the 
Food Stamp Act of 1977 faced by many homeless individuals and other 
hard to reach populations by establishing an office in the Social 
Security Administration which will be responsible for coordinating 
outreach activities and services, including an outreach grant program. 
The grant program will help establish innovative approaches to identify 
individuals potentially eligible for such benefits and to aid such 
individuals in the application process for such benefits.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF OUTREACH COORDINATION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
(hereafter referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall, within 
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, establish within 
the Social Security Administration an Office of Outreach Coordination, 
to be administered by a Director of Outreach Coordination (hereafter in 
this section referred to as the ``Director'') who shall be appointed by 
the Commissioner of Social Security.
    (b) Duties of the Director.--The Director shall--
            (1) administer the grant program established under section 
        4 and provide technical assistance to the entities receiving 
        grants under such section;
            (2) formulate and provide information and technical 
        assistance to Social Security Administration field offices 
        regarding--
                    (A) outreach policies and methods; and
                    (B) local outreach activities and services; and
            (3) implement the requirements of section 1635 of the 
        Social Security Act.

SEC. 4. GRANTS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS FOR 
              OUTREACH.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall, through the Office of 
Outreach Coordination in the Social Security Administration 
(established under section 3), provide grants to local governments and 
nonprofit organizations submitting applications to the Secretary under 
this section, to conduct outreach activities and services targeted at 
homeless individuals and other hard to reach populations, as determined 
appropriate by the Secretary.
    (b) Grant Criteria.--The Secretary shall provide grants under this 
section only to entities that demonstrate to the Secretary that the 
entities--
            (1) have experience with low-income people;
            (2) have, in the case of entities applying for grants to 
        work with a specific hard to reach population, sufficient 
        experience in working with such population, including--
                    (A) knowledge of the community in which such 
                population lives; and
                    (B) proficiency in any applicable foreign language;
            (3) are able to conduct outreach activities and services 
        appropriate to the targeted hard to reach population, 
        including--
                    (A) regular visits to places frequented by homeless 
                individuals, including soup kitchens, homeless 
                shelters, street sites, and day centers;
                    (B) the provision of information to individuals and 
                organizations regarding eligibility for benefits under 
                the Social Security Act and the Food Stamp Act of 1977, 
                and provision of applications to apply for benefits 
                under such programs;
                    (C) the provision of assistance to individuals in 
                completing applications to establish eligibility for 
                benefits under the Social Security Act and benefits 
                under the Food Stamp Act of 1977; and
                    (D) the provision of assistance to individuals with 
                respect to--
                            (i) obtaining appointments for any medical 
                        examination required in order to obtain 
                        benefits for which such individuals may be 
                        eligible under the Social Security Act so that 
                        all such examinations take place within 2 weeks 
                        after submission of the application for 
                        benefits under such Act;
                            (ii) obtaining and developing evidence of 
                        disability and supporting documentation for 
                        nondisability-related eligibility requirements 
                        under the Social Security Act; and
                            (iii) other matters relevant to obtaining 
                        benefits under the Social Security Act, 
                        including arranging transportation, and where 
                        appropriate, arranging for persons to accompany 
                        applicants to any necessary medical 
                        examinations; and
            (4) are able to meet such further requirements as the 
        Secretary determines to be appropriate to carry out the 
        purposes of this section.
    (c) Assistance to Applicants and Beneficiaries Who Are Homeless 
Individuals In Obtaining Needed Goods and Services.--An entity that 
receives a grant under this section to conduct outreach activities to 
homeless individuals may use some of the funds received under the grant 
to assist homeless individuals in gaining access to appropriate 
services in the community, including permanent housing assistance, 
nutrition, physical and mental health care, and case management 
services.
    (d) Reporting Requirements.--The Secretary shall provide that each 
entity receiving grants under this section shall be required to prepare 
and submit to the Office of Outreach Coordination an annual report on 
the use of grant funds and on the activities of the entity undertaken 
to carry out the purposes of this section.
    (e) Grant Funds.--In order to provide for grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall set aside and utilize no less than .37 
percent of the amounts available on an annual basis for the 
administrative expenses of the Social Security Administration.
    (f) Administrative Provisions.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to 
        carry out this section within 240 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act;
            (2) notify local governments and nonprofit organizations of 
        the availability of grant funds under this section within 270 
        days after the date of the enactment of this Act; and
            (3) begin to award grants under this section as described 
        in subsection (a) within 360 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act and annually thereafter.

SEC. 5. SPECIAL PROCEDURES RELATING TO HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS.

    (a) Expedited Consideration of Applications.--Within 240 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall promulgate 
regulations to ensure that, in determining disability for purposes of 
awarding benefits under the Social Security Act, priority consideration 
shall be given to applications received from homeless individuals.
    (b) Assistance in Filing Documents for Appeal and in Seeking 
Representation.--If the Secretary issues a decision to deny, suspend, 
reduce, or terminate benefits under the Social Security Act to a 
homeless individual, the Secretary shall take affirmative steps to 
locate the individual and--
            (1) inform the individual of the importance of appealing 
        such decision; and
            (2) if the individual indicates a desire to file such an 
        appeal, assist the individual in filing the necessary forms.
    (c) Procedure Governing the Potential Denial or Suspension of 
Benefits for a Homeless Individual.--
            (1) Determination.--Before the Secretary decides to deny, 
        reduce, suspend, or terminate benefits under the Social 
        Security Act to a homeless individual on the grounds that the 
        individual must provide additional information before 
        receiving, or continuing to receive, such benefits, the 
        Secretary shall determine whether the individual is likely to 
        have difficulty in responding to the request due to--
                    (A) a mental or physical impairment;
                    (B) advanced age;
                    (C) inability to communicate in English;
                    (D) lack of transportation;
                    (E) lack of a fixed address; or
                    (F) any other comparable limitation.
            (2) Action.--If the Secretary determines that an individual 
        has one of the limitations described in paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall--
                    (A) take affirmative steps to locate the individual 
                and assist the individual in filing an appeal from an 
                adverse decision regarding such benefits, and in 
                securing the evidence required to establish eligibility 
                for, or to restore, such benefits; and
                    (B) try to contact the individual by telephone and, 
                if unsuccessful, make a personal visit to the last 
                known address of the individual, contact individuals in 
                the neighborhood, friends, or the post office, of the 
                individual, and, to assist in these efforts, contact 
                social agencies, shelters, soup kitchens, and any other 
                agencies that provide services to homeless individuals.
            (3) Restoration of benefits.--If the efforts described in 
        subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) are unsuccessful, 
        and such benefits are denied, suspended, reduced, or 
        terminated, and the individual within 12 months of such denial, 
        suspension, reduction, or termination contacts the Social 
        Security Administration with the necessary information to seek 
        restoration of benefits, the Secretary shall--
                    (A) immediately resume payment of such benefits; 
                and
                    (B) from funds retained in the local office 
                accounts, pay the benefits of the individual for the 
                current month and for subsequent months until regular 
                monthly payments of benefits resume.
    (d) Regulations on Presumptive Disability.--Within 60 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall promulgate 
regulations to ensure that presumptive disability payments made under 
section 1631(a)(4)(A) of the Social Security Act and emergency advance 
payments made under section 1631(a)(4)(B) of such Act are fully 
available to homeless individuals.

SEC. 6. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Evaluations.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall prepare an evaluation 
        of the activities carried out under this Act.
            (2) Criteria.--At a minimum, the criteria used by the 
        Secretary in evaluating such activities shall--
                    (A) fully take into account the special 
                circumstances of the individuals reached through the 
                outreach activities conducted under this Act and the 
                need of such individuals for personalized attention and 
                follow-through assistance; and
                    (B) emphasize the extent to which--
                            (i) the procedures used to carry out the 
                        outreach activities take into account such 
                        circumstances; and
                            (ii) the assistance made available to such 
                        individuals through such activities meets such 
                        need.
    (b) Reports.--Not less frequently than annually, the Secretary 
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a full and 
complete report containing the evaluation described in subsection (a) 
and such recommendations for additional legislative or regulatory 
action as the Secretary may determine to be appropriate.

SEC. 7. DEFINITION.

    For purposes of this Act, the term ``homeless individual'' means 
any individual--
            (1) who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime 
        residence; or
            (2) whose primary nighttime residence is--
                    (A) a supervised publicly or privately operated 
                shelter designed to provide temporary living 
                accommodations (including a welfare hotel, a congregate 
                shelter, and transitional housing for the mentally 
                ill);
                    (B) an institution that provides a temporary 
                residence for individuals intended to be 
                institutionalized; or
                    (C) a public or private place not designed for, or 
                ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation 
                for human beings.

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