Congressman Steven Horsford Introduces Legislation to Protect Seniors and People with Disabilities During the COVID-19 Crisis

Press Release

Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) joined the House Ways and Means Worker and Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Danny Davis (IL) and Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John Larson (CT) to introduce the Fairness for Seniors and People with Disabilities During COVID-19 Act. This legislation protects seniors, surviving spouses, children, and people with severe disabilities from being forced to repay extra Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits they received because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our Social Security Administration worked tirelessly to provide beneficiaries with timely, automatic payments to assist seniors and people with disabilities with the financial hardships brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some Americans unknowingly received extra benefits for reasons beyond their control," said Congressman Steven Horsford. "Right now, several families continue to struggle economically and need those benefits to keep them afloat. Demanding that our most vulnerable population pays them back may force some individuals to choose between repaying the benefit or putting food on the table. We must protect this population against errors of our overwhelmed government systems."

Congressman Horsford is an original cosponsor of this legislation to prevent vulnerable seniors, survivors, and people with severe disabilities from having to repay benefits that the Social Security Administration mistakenly overpaid during the coronavirus crisis. The bill also protects individuals who would have had their SSI benefits cut off from the retroactive loss of Medicaid.

The bill received endorsements by the following entities: AARP, Alliance for Retired Americans, American Council of the Blind, American Association on Health and Disability, Autism Society of America, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, Easterseals, Epilepsy Foundation, Justice in Aging , Lakeshore Foundation, Latinos for a Secure Retirement, NAACP, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association of Disability Representatives, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, National Employment Law Project, National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives, Social Security Works, The Arc of the United States.

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