WIPA And PABSS Extension Act Of 2010

Floor Speech

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* Mr. POMEROY. Madam Speaker, today I join with my colleagues, Sam Johnson, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Social Security, and Jim McDermott, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, to introduce legislation to reauthorize the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program (WIPA) and the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) program. This bill will ensure that two programs which provide critical assistance for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability beneficiaries who are seeking to return to work continue for another year.

* WIPA and PABSS were both originally established in the bipartisan Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999. WIPA provides $23 million for community-based organizations to provide personalized assistance to help SSI and Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) recipients understand Social Security's complex work incentive policies and the effect that working will have on their benefits. In 2009, WIPA assisted over 37,000 SSI and DI beneficiaries who wanted to return to work. The PABSS program provides $7 million in grants to designated Protection and Advocacy Systems to provide legal advocacy services that beneficiaries need to secure, maintain, or regain employment. In 2009, PABSS served nearly 9,000 beneficiaries.

* This bill will extend the WIPA and PABSS programs for one year. It also includes two commonsense technical changes to conform the treatment of WIPA and PABSS grantees. The bill would require WIPA grantees to report annually on their services to the Commissioner of Social Security, as PABSS grantees do. Although there have been problems in the past with maintaining an electronic reporting system for this data, we believe those problems are resolved and expect the Social Security Administration to maintain its commitment to an effective system during this extension. The bill would also allow WIPA grantees, like PABSS grantees, to carry over some unspent funding for one year, which will allow for smoother and faster staffing transitions.

* This bill does not increase government spending, since the funds will continue to come out of the Social Security Administration's existing administrative budget.

* By extending WIPA and PABSS for a year, we reaffirm our commitment to these important work support programs, while also acknowledging the need to consider policy and funding changes in the near future. For example, in 2008, the Social Security Administration made important regulatory changes to address the disappointingly low participation in the early years of the Ticket program. If those changes are successful, they will increase the number of people who are able to transition to work, but they may also increase the number of people who need help from WIPA and PABSS or change the kind of help they need. Funding for WIPA and PABSS has not grown since they were created in 1999.

* I urge your support for extending these important programs.

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