House Resolution 29 - Introduced

PAG LIN

                                    H.R. ________ S.R. ________


  1  1                HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2          BY  HEATON, HEDDENS, MASCHER, HUNTER,
  1  3       STECKMAN, THEDE, WENDT, WESSEL=KROESCHELL,
  1  4     ALONS, KOESTER, PETERSEN, SODERBERG, T. OLSON,
  1  5             BAUDLER, UPMEYER, and L. MILLER
  1  6 A Resolution urging the United States Congress to take
  1  7    action to shorten the almost two=year delay in
  1  8    resolving claims for Social Security disability
  1  9    benefits.
  1 10    WHEREAS, 7.2 million Americans collect Social
  1 11 Security disability benefits because of a medical
  1 12 condition that prevents them from working for at least
  1 13 one year; and
  1 14    WHEREAS, more than 2.5 million Americans file
  1 15 disability claims with the federal Social Security
  1 16 Administration each year and then wait, often unable
  1 17 to work; and
  1 18    WHEREAS, nationally, the average wait for an
  1 19 administrative law judge's decision on disability
  1 20 benefits has now stretched to 502 days, compared with
  1 21 258 days in 2000; and
  1 22    WHEREAS, it is clear that a large part of the
  1 23 problem is that the federal Social Security
  1 24 Administration is underfunded, with Congress
  1 25 appropriating an average of $150 million less than the
  1 26 president requested each year since 2001; NOW
  1 27 THEREFORE,
  1 28    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
  1 29 That the House of Representatives calls upon the
  1 30 United States Congress to take action to shorten the
  2  1 almost two=year delay in resolving claims for Social
  2  2 Security disability benefits; and
  2  3    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That upon passage of this
  2  4 resolution, suitable copies of the resolution shall be
  2  5 transmitted to the members of Iowa's congressional
  2  6 delegation and the President of the United States.
  2  7 LSB 1670YH 83
  2  8 jr/nh/5