[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6445 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6445

   To amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide that the 
     waiting period for disability insurance benefits shall not be 
         applicable in the case of a recovering service member.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 20, 2012

 Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. Loebsack, Mr. Marino, 
   Mr. West, and Mr. Jones) introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide that the 
     waiting period for disability insurance benefits shall not be 
         applicable in the case of a recovering service member.

    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 ``Recovering Service Members 
Disability Benefits Act''.

SEC. 2. EXCEPTION FROM WAITING PERIOD FOR DISABILITY INSURANCE BENEFITS 
              OF RECOVERING SERVICE MEMBERS.

    (a) Exception From Waiting Period.--The first sentence of section 
223(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 423(a)(1)) is amended, 
in clause (ii) thereof in the matter following subparagraph (E)--
            (1) by inserting ``(I)'' after ``but only''; and
            (2) by inserting ``or (II) if such individual is a 
        recovering service member,'' after ``the first month in which 
        he is under such disability,''.
    (b) Definition of Recovering Service Member.--Section 223(a) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 423(a)) is further amended by adding at 
the end the following:
            ``(3) For purposes of this subsection--
                    ``(A) the term `recovering service member' means a 
                member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the 
                National Guard or a Reserve component, who is 
                undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy 
                while recovering from a serious bodily injury or 
                physical illness related to the member's military 
                service; and
                    ``(B) the term `serious bodily injury or physical 
                illness' means in the case of a member of the Armed 
                Forces, a bodily injury or physical illness incurred by 
                the member in line of duty on active duty in the Armed 
                Forces while in a combat zone designated under section 
                112(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, that 
                may render the member medically unfit to perform the 
                duties of the member's office, grade, rank, or 
                rating.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall apply with respect to 
applications for benefits filed on or after the date that is 90 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act.
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