Making DI Work For All Americans Act of 2019
This bill revises the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs, including with respect to benefits, disability reviews, and claimant representative fees. It also modifies administrative and other activities of the Social Security Administration (SSA) concerning these programs.
Specifically, the bill sets the SSI benefit amount at 1/12 of the federal poverty level and prohibits the receipt of disability benefits and unemployment compensation in the same month. It also increases the frequency of continuing disability reviews, eliminates certain stages of disability review reconsiderations, and requires the SSA to use social media evidence in these reviews. Additionally, the bill eliminates the authority of the SSA to set fees for, and certify payments to, representatives of Social Security claimants.
Other changes include applying the Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges to Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) and requiring the SSA to review disability determinations of ALJs who are considered outliers based on the relative number of awards they have made. Furthermore, the SSA must estimate the number of ALJs and support staff that are necessary to complete disability determinations within specified time frames.
Additionally, the SSA must update certain guidelines used in disability determinations to account for factors including employment made possible due to advances in treatment, rehabilitation, and technology; update the jobs that exist in the national economy for purposes of disability determinations; study the impact of using different disability standards to determine disability status; and provide specified training to state partners.