Als Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019
Floor Speech
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Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 578) to amend title II of the Social Security Act to eliminate the five-month waiting period for disability insurance benefits under such title for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: S. 578
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019''. SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF WAITING PERIOD FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY INSURANCE BENEFITS FOR DISABLED INDIVIDUALS WITH AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS (ALS).
(a) In General.--Section 223(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 423(a)(1)) is amended in the matter following subparagraph (E) by striking ``or (ii)'' and inserting ``(ii) in the case of an individual who has been medically determined to have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, for each month beginning with the first month during all of which the individual is under a disability and in which the individual becomes entitled to such insurance benefits, or (iii)''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall apply with respect to applications for disability insurance benefits filed after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.
ALS is a devastating and cruel disease. There is no cure for ALS, and ALS always leads to a premature death. On average, people live only 2 to 5 years after getting a diagnosis of ALS.
Earlier this year, I lost my dear friend and former Chief of Staff, Elliot Ginsberg to ALS, and previously lost a near and dear friend, Danny Jones, who I went to grammar school with and played basketball with, who later led Central Connecticut in his collegiate years.
Every year, approximately 5,000 Americans are diagnosed with ALS.
Over time, people with ALS lose their ability to speak, to eat, to move, and even to breathe. They are unable to work due to their severe disabilities, and they lose their jobs and their employer-based health insurance. I have witnessed this happen to both them and, as importantly, their family members, and to see the agony and the suffering and yet the dedication and love that they go through.
Recognizing the devastating nature of ALS, in 2000, Congress passed bipartisan legislation that waived the 24-month waiting period for Medicare for people with ALS.
Today, we consider the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019. This bipartisan legislation will end the 5-month waiting period for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits for people with ALS.
Madam Speaker, I want to give special thanks to Representative Seth Moulton, who has been a champion on this issue, along with the 305 Members of the House of Representatives who have cosponsored Representative Moulton's bill.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019. Our actions today will provide people with ALS quicker access to the Social Security and Medicare benefits they have earned.
Madam Speaker, I would also like to commend my colleague on the House Ways and Means Committee, Bill Pascrell, for his passionate leadership and untiring advocacy on behalf of those suffering with Huntington's disease, a terrible disease which affects children as well as adults.
Today, we are passing this bill for many with ALS, but we also know there are many devastating diseases, such as Huntington's and metastatic breast cancer, which also deserve the same benefits and to have bills in Congress that will provide just that.
We need a solution for everyone.
People with the kinds of severe disease and disabilities that qualify them for Social Security really need the benefits they have earned as soon as possible. I hope that in the next Congress we can try to help everyone, by doing what Bernie Sanders and Lloyd Doggett and others have proposed, to eliminate these waiting periods across the board.
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Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Moulton), the distinguished gentleman who has championed this bill.
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Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), a distinguished gentleman who has been a lifelong fighter on behalf of people with disabilities.
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Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Judy Chu), a gracious and distinguished lady on the Ways and Means Committee.
Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act, which would help those diagnosed with ALS get their benefits quickly by making them eligible to receive Social Security Disability Insurance immediately instead of having to wait 5 months.
I have heard heart-wrenching stories from my constituents whose lives have been upended by this cruel and aggressive disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease over the course of which those with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement. This leads to paralysis and, ultimately, death.
Tragically, ALS has a fatality rate of 100 percent. Unfortunately, this disease is so aggressive and can take so long to diagnose that some patients lose their battle with ALS before the 5-month waiting period for SSDI benefits is over. This bill would ensure that those who have an ALS diagnosis are not denied their benefits when they need them most.
I am proud to be a cosponsor of the House version of this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill before us today.
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Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, at this time, it is my privilege to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis), who I say is the voice of God. When you hear him speak, I think you will agree with me.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding.
As a cosponsor of the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act, I rise in strong support of this bill that removes the harmful 5-month waiting period for earned Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.
For years, representatives from the greater Chicago chapter of The ALS Association have raised the financial hardship caused by this waiting period. Disability insurance is an earned benefit. Federal law should ease suffering and promote the well-being of persons eligible for SSDI.
This bill will help alleviate the financial burden of persons and families struggling with ALS, making it a little easier as they battle the tremendous loss associated with this illness.
Enacting this bill is an important step forward to removing barriers to disability benefits. I look forward to advancing additional bills to eliminate obstacles to disability benefits, including advocating for the elimination of the waiting period for financial and Medicare assistance for all SSDI-eligible individuals.
Again, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
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Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley), considered the greatest hockey player in the Congress.
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Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, at this time, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).
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Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I have great gratitude for my distinguished colleague from New York (Mr. Reed), and I thank Seth Moulton for his outstanding work on this bill.
I urge my colleagues to support S. 578, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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