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WASHINGTON UPDATE

December 23, 2020 Volume 26, Number 22
• Congress Passes the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act

Congress passed S. 578, the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019, on
December 9. The bill eliminates the mandatory five-month waiting period for Social
Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for patients with medically determined ALS. While
the purpose of the waiting period is to allow temporary conditions to reverse, there is no
treatment to cure or halt the effects of ALS and many patients lose their fight with the
disease before ever receiving benefits. As originally introduced, the legislation would
have increased withholding on beneficiaries’ subject to overpayment recoveries as a
way to pay for the elimination of the waiting period. However, those provisions were
dropped from the final bill. Once it is signed by the President, this bill will help alleviate
some of the financial hardship that accompanies an ALS diagnosis.

• Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative Act Headed to the President

On December 8, the House approved the Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative Act
(H.R. 8354).This bill authorizes a current pilot project within the Civil Rights Division of
the Department of Justice (DOJ) and would establish a program to serve as legal and
policy advisor on DOJ's efforts to enforce criminal and civil laws that impact
servicemembers, veterans, and their families; develop policy recommendations for
improved enforcement of federal law to support servicemembers, veterans, and their
families; serve as the liaison and point of contact between DOJ and the military
departments; and provide counsel for the Office of Justice Programs to ensure that
funding decisions take into account servicemembers, veterans, and their families; and
enforce federal laws that protect servicemembers and veterans. The bill passed the
Senate on December 15 and is headed to the President for his signature.

• Congress passes the Lifespan Respite Program Reauthorization

The House and Senate have passed the Lifespan Respite Reauthorization bill. H.R.
8906 was introduced by Representative James Langevin (D-RI) in the House and
authorizes $50 million for Lifespan Respite over five years ($10 million annually) through
fiscal year 2024. The legislation is now on its way to the President for his signature.

• EEOC Issues Revised Documents About Employment of Veterans with Disabilities

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued three
revised documents that address the employment of veterans with disabilities. The
documents discuss how the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Uniformed Services
Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) apply to employers and veteran
employees. To view the documents, please click here.