{
  "id": "R43471",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "R43471",
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  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
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      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 452887,
      "date": "2015-07-31",
      "retrieved": "2016-06-21T21:21:46.688819",
      "title": "Concurrent Receipt of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Unemployment Insurance (UI): Background and Legislative Proposals",
      "summary": "Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Unemployment Insurance (UI) are forms of social insurance that provide protection against the risk of economic loss due to specific adverse events. SSDI provides long-term benefits to nonelderly workers and their eligible dependents if the worker is unable to engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA) due to a qualifying impairment. UI provides temporary benefits to involuntarily unemployed workers who meet the requirements of state law. Although SSDI and UI serve largely separate populations, some individuals may be concurrently (simultaneously) eligible for benefits under both programs.\nIn 2012, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined the issue of overlapping SSDI and UI benefits. GAO found that in FY2010, 117,000 individuals received more than $850 million in concurrent benefit payments from the SSDI and UI programs. These individuals represented about 1% of the beneficiaries in each program, and the benefit payments they received constituted 0.2% of SSDI benefit outlays and 0.4% of UI benefit outlays for that year. The Social Security Administration (SSA) estimates that for each month in 2015, an average of about 0.34% of disabled-worker beneficiaries will be in concurrent receipt of SSDI and UI (approximately 30,000 people).\nDuring the 114th Congress, several proposals have been introduced to deny or offset the SSDI benefits of disabled-worker beneficiaries who receive UI benefits. These proposals take one of three approaches.\nThe first approach treats receipt of UI payments as engaging in SGA, which would prevent UI recipients from qualifying for SSDI. It could also lead to a suspension or termination of SSDI benefits for individuals already entitled to SSDI who receive UI payments based on work activity that occurred under an SSA-approved work incentive. \nThe second approach suspends SSDI benefits for any month in which a disabled-worker beneficiary receives UI payments. \nThe third approach reduces SSDI benefits, dollar for dollar, by the amount of UI benefits.\nSupporters of these proposals argue that concurrent receipt of SSDI and UI benefits is \u201cdouble dipping\u201d or duplicative, because both programs are intended to replace lost earnings. They also maintain that receipt of one benefit is fundamentally contradictory with the eligibility requirements of the other: UI beneficiaries are required to be able and available for work (as determined under state law), whereas SSDI beneficiaries must be generally unable to work due to a severe physical or mental impairment that prevents them from performing SGA.\nOpponents argue that concurrent receipt of SSDI and UI benefits is consistent and appropriate under law, because the SSDI program actively encourages beneficiaries to return to work through various work incentives. Many opponents also contend that denying or offsetting the SSDI benefits of individuals in receipt of UI discriminates against people with disabilities who have lost their job through no fault of their own.\nThis report provides an overview of the SSDI and UI programs and explores the issue of overlapping payments. It also examines many of the proposals introduced during the 114th Congress to prevent or reduce concurrent receipt of SSDI and UI. The report ends with a discussion of potential issues for SSA in implementing such proposals.",
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      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "IBCList",
          "id": 2912,
          "name": "Disability Rights and Benefits"
        },
        {
          "source": "IBCList",
          "id": 3938,
          "name": "Unemployment Insurance"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc815820/",
      "id": "R43471_2014Apr09",
      "date": "2014-04-09",
      "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26",
      "title": "Concurrent Receipt of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Unemployment Insurance (UI): Background and Legislative Proposals in the 113th Congress",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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      "topics": []
    }
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  "topics": [
    "Domestic Social Policy"
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}