[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 9, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              ALS DISABILITY INSURANCE ACCESS ACT OF 2019

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 8, 2020

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 578, the ALS 
Disability Insurance Access Act. I'm proud to be a cosponsor of this 
important legislation that enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support in 
the Congress.
  This bill ends the five-month waiting period for people with ALS to 
access Social Security Disability. For some in the country, a five-
month wait would not be a great burden, but for those with ALS, which 
is fatal, many die waiting, never receiving the benefits they earned by 
paying into Social Security.
  ALS is an aggressive neurodegenerative disease that robs people of 
their muscle movement, their employment, and their lives in a brief 
time following diagnosis. By ending the harmful waiting period, this 
bill will allow Americans who face an ALS diagnosis to immediately 
receive the Social Security benefits they've earned and deserve.
  I salute my friend and colleague, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse for 
authoring this important legislation and I urge my colleagues to vote 
for this bill and for the President to immediately sign it into law.

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