H.R. 8884 · Passed House · Social Welfare

Removing Barriers to Work for Disabled Americans Act

What it does

Reauthorizes the Social Security Administration's authority to conduct disability demonstration projects through 2031, extending a program that expired on December 31, 2022.
Requires that demonstration project participants' total income cannot be reduced as a result of participation, protecting beneficiaries from net income loss.
Mandates SSA provide Congress with 120 days advance notice before launching any demonstration project, including evaluation metrics for the project.
Specifies that administrative costs for demonstration projects must be paid from existing SSA administrative appropriations rather than other funding sources.

Official summary

Removing Barriers to Work for Disabled Americans Act This bill reauthorizes through 2031 the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) authority to carry out demonstration projects within the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. The bill also imposes requirements related to beneficiary income, project funding, and SSA reporting. SSDI demonstration projects must be designed to promote attachment to the workforce and generally involve temporary changes to SSDI policies tested on a subset of beneficiaries. Participation in a demonstration project must be voluntary. SSA’s authority to carry out these projects expired on December 31, 2022. Under the bill, SSA must ensure that an individual’s participation in a demonstration project does not reduce their total income. Further, the bill specifies that administrative expenses related to demonstration projects must be paid from funds appropriated for administration. Finally, the bill requires SSA to report to Congress 120 days before initiating a demonstration project. This is an increase from 90 days under current law. This advance notification must include evaluation metrics for the relevant project.

Latest action

Jul 23, 2026: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Committee: Senate Finance