Senator Lankford Offers Real Reforms to Social Security Disability Insurance Program

Press Release

Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today offered an amendment to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (H.R.1314) that reforms the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. Specifically, the amendment (#2755) would improve the adjudication process for appeals and reconsiderations; prevent individuals from receiving SSDI who are not disabled; and ensure stronger program integrity, processing and oversight.

"This Congress has missed another opportunity for real reform. The Social Security Disability Insurance changes in the current budget agreement are not the type of substantive reforms that are needed to strengthen the program for disabled Americans," said Lankford. "The budget deal's social security changes put a Band-Aid on the disability program, and it does almost nothing to solve the program's future insolvency. Unfortunately, Social Security Disability Insurance has become saddled with fraud, waste and outdated bureaucratic inefficiencies, which threaten the program for those who rely on it the most. In order to strengthen the program for disabled Americans, we must pursue reforms that crack down on fraud, fix the broken adjudication process, and improve program integrity and oversight. Congress has had four years to prepare for this moment, but instead they failed to put in place the real reforms available."

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