The passage of this
legislation will be extremely beneficial to Veterans who are recovering from
injuries and are trying to transition to their life back home. Last
week I met with a Social Security Disability client who is recovering from
physical injuries, as well as PTSD, after serving in Afghanistan. I was shocked when I found out that he
attempted to go back to work almost immediately after returning from the
war. He said that he went back to work
right away because he needed to take care of the
immediate financial needs of his wife and children. I believe that his disabling condition was
exacerbated by the stress of having to return back to work so quickly.
Rep. Thompson
introduced the bill on the floor of the House of Representatives. For a video of his remarks click on the link:
In addition, Rep. Loebsack, the
co-sponsor of the bill, stated: “It is unacceptable for our service members who
have been wounded defending our country to have to wait for benefits or face
financial hardship. Instead of worrying about if they will be getting
their benefits, they should be focusing on getting better,” He also pointed out that: "Our veterans
are already waiting far too long to receive VA benefits. They should not also
be subjected to delays in their Social Security benefits. This bill
honors the sacrifices our wounded service members and their families have made
for our country. We owe it to those who have put their lives on the line
protecting our freedoms to ensure that they are able to quickly access the
benefits they need.”
H.R. 1488 amends title
II of the Social Security Act to provide that the waiting period for disability
insurance benefits shall not be applicable in the case of a disabled service
member recovering from an injury or illness incurred in a combat zone.
The Recovering Service
Members Disability Benefits Act does not expand eligibility for SSDI benefits
or automatically approve individual requests, and all of the same protections
used to prevent fraud and abuse of the program remain as defined under current
law.