[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11528]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    THE INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEE SHORT-TERM DISABILITY 
                         INSURANCE ACT OF 2013

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 16, 2013

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, as many of our federal workers face 
furloughs and a third year of pay freezes, I introduce the Federal 
Employee Short-Term Disability Insurance Act of 2013, which will help 
provide some financial relief for federal employees who suffer a short-
term injury or disability. 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, they 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 as individuals in the private 
market at high 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 
available sick or annual leave days, they may not have enough such days 
if they have 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 for such benefits 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 through their employers at group rates. The bill 
will not allow participating insurance companies to exclude persons 
based on pre-existing 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 an employee 
sought such insurance as an individual.
  According to the Social Security Administration, studies indicate 
that a 20-year-old worker has a one in four 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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