Sponsor
Valerie Foushee
Representative · D-NC
Representative · D-NC
The bill expands direct access and due-process protections for Social Security claimants by removing a mandatory reconsideration step, at the cost of likely increasing SSA hearing workloads and administrative expenses unless the agency is given additional resources.
People with disabilities and seniors/retirees can appeal initial Social Security Title II/XVI denials directly to an administrative hearing without first completing a reconsideration step, increasing direct access to hearings and strengthening due-process protections.
Low-income individuals and disabled claimants are likely to get faster access to formal hearings and potentially quicker final decisions and benefits because the extra reconsideration step is removed.
Applicants (including those with disabilities) face fewer procedural barriers and less administrative burden by removing a mandatory reconsideration step, simplifying the appeal process.
People with disabilities, seniors, and other claimants could experience longer hearing wait times and larger backlogs if the Social Security Administration is not provided sufficient capacity to handle the higher volume of direct hearing requests.
Taxpayers may face higher SSA operating costs because eliminating mandatory reconsideration is likely to increase the number of hearings, potentially requiring additional funding or reallocation of resources.
Low-income and disabled applicants may still face uncertainty or delayed benefits in practice if SSA cannot staff and schedule hearings promptly despite the statutory right to request them.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires SSA to provide a hearing on request for initial Title II or Title XVI decisions and bars requiring prior reconsideration.
Official title: To amend titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act to make the reconsideration review process optional.
Introduced April 23, 2026 by Valerie Foushee · Last progress April 23, 2026
Requires the Social Security Administration to offer an administrative hearing when an applicant or beneficiary requests one for an initial decision under Title II (Social Security) or Title XVI (SSI), and bars the agency from conditioning that hearing on a prior reconsideration step. The change applies to initial Title II or XVI decisions made on or after one year after the law is enacted. The provision simply amends existing appeal procedure in the Social Security Act to give claimants direct access to a hearing if they ask for it, removing a required initial reconsideration layer for those cases covered by the change.