[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13779]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    THE INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEE SHORT-TERM DISABILITY 
                         INSURANCE ACT OF 2011

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 15, 2011

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Federal Employee 
Short-Term Disability Insurance Act of 2011. This bill will offer 
federal employees short-term disability insurance at no cost to the 
federal government. Employees will be responsible for 100 percent of 
the premiums. If federal employees elect to purchase the short-term 
insurance provided for in my bill and they become injured or ill 
because of a non-work related injury or illness, federal employees will 
be able to collect disability insurance benefits, for up to one year, 
to replace a portion of their lost income.
  I decided to investigate how we could provide short-term disability 
insurance to federal employees after learning that many of them already 
buy short-term disability insurance in the private market at high 
individual rates. Although federal employees have good health 
insurance, federal health benefits do not replace lost income if 
employees are unable to work. And, while federal employees may have 
limited available sick or annual leave days, these are often 
insufficient to cover the costs of an employee's living expenses if he 
or she has to be out of work for an extended period of time. Moreover, 
although there are long-term disability options for federal employees 
who become permanently disabled, federal employees do not qualify if 
they have not worked for at least 18 months. My bill does no more than 
put federal employees in the same position as their private sector 
counterparts, who have access to disability insurance at group rates. 
The bill will not allow participating employers to exclude persons 
based on preexisting conditions. And, because of the federal 
government's purchasing power, the bill will provide all of these 
benefits at a more competitive rate than is available if the employees 
seek such insurance as an individual.
  According to the Social Security Administration, studies indicate 
that a 20-year-old worker has a 30 percent chance of becoming disabled 
by retirement age. The majority of disabilities are not caused by major 
accidents, but by conditions or illnesses such as cancer or back 
injuries, according to the Council for Disability Awareness.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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