[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 25 (Wednesday, March 11, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E347]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY: THE TICKET TO WORK AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY ACT 
                                OF 1998

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BARBARA B. KENNELLY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 11, 1998

  Mrs. KENNELLY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I am today introducing, 
along with Rep. Jim Bunning, bipartisan legislation to assist people 
with disabilities in returning to work. The Ticket to Work and Self-
Sufficiency Act will help to open the door to employment for Social 
Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income 
(SSI) beneficiaries.
  Many of these beneficiaries would like to return to employment but 
find too many obstacles standing between them and a job. These 
obstacles often include the need for vocational rehabilitation, job 
training, and other assistance in finding and retaining a job. In 
addition, beneficiaries face the disincentives to work brought on by 
the loss of disability benefits and health care coverage. All of these 
stand in the way of a person who wants to leave the Social Security 
disability system for work.
  Rep. Bunning and I have worked on a bipartisan approach to reducing 
these disincentives. The legislation would afford beneficiaries three 
important bridges to employment. First, the legislation would provide 
SSDI and SSI beneficiaries a much greater choice of vocational 
rehabilitation providers, who help train and find jobs for individuals 
with disabilities. The bill would offer to disabled beneficiaries a 
ticket to work which could be presented to either a private vocational 
rehabilitation provider of the beneficiary's choice or a State 
vocational rehabilitation agency.
  The bill would allow a beneficiary to choose the provider which best 
suits his or her needs and is most likely to assist that individual 
effectively in returning to work. Providers would be paid under an 
incentive system that would permit them to share in the savings to the 
government when the individual returns to work and is no longer 
receiving disability benefits.
  Second, the bill addresses the principle fear facing disabled 
beneficiaries--the loss of health insurance coverage. The bill would 
offer Medicare coverage for at least 6 years for those individuals who 
leave the rolls to return to work. This is a 2-year extension over 
current law.
  Finally, the legislation would make work pay. It would convert the 
current income tax deduction for the cost of work expenses related to 
one's impairment into a credit. The credit would be 50 percent of 
impairment-related expenses up to $10,000 in expenses. This would have 
the effect of permitting those who do not itemize to take into account 
the extraordinary work expenses, such as specialized computers or 
personal assistants, resulting from their disability. This is intended 
to cushion the blow of lost disability benefits and level the 
employment playing field between those people with disabilities and 
those without.
  Leaving the disability rolls is no easy task. It is my hope that this 
bill will help to build a bridge to employment for people with 
disabilities. Every person who returns to work means one more person 
with a brighter future, and it means lower cost to the government. I 
hope our colleagues will join us in the bipartisan effort.

                          ____________________