Coats, Senators Support Bill to Close Loophole in Social Security Disability Trust Fund

Press Release

Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.), the chairman-designate of the Joint Economic Committee and member of the Senate Finance Committee, cosponsored legislation to prevent beneficiaries from receiving both Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits and unemployment benefits at the same time.

"The fact remains that mandatory spending is unsustainable so it is important to restructure entitlement programs to ensure these benefits are available for future generations," said Coats. "One way we can begin to reform these programs is to close the loophole that allows recipients to double dip into these two programs. It is unfair to those who truly need this safety net and irresponsible for the government to allow it to continue."

"The Social Security Disability Insurance and Unemployment Benefits Double Dip Elimination Act of 2015" was introduced in both the Senate and House. Last Congress, Coats introduced an amendment to address this very issue. These legislative proposals are similar to those included in the president's fiscal year 2016 budget with an estimated savings of $2 billion over 10 years.

By law, a person must be able to work to qualify for unemployment benefits, yet some people claiming unemployment benefits also request Social Security disability benefits. To claim SSDI benefits, a person must be unable to work because of a medical condition.

Additional co-sponsors of the Senate bill include: Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Senators Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

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