Sponsors
The bill restores retroactive Social Security eligibility and protects recipients’ access to other means-tested benefits for people harmed by SSA operational failures, but does so at the cost of higher federal and state administrative expenses and increased risk of legal and political disputes over eligibility.
Seniors, retirees, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals: those who were prevented from applying between Jan 20, 2025 and Jan 19, 2029 because of SSA operational or technical failures will be treated as if they applied earlier, allowing retroactive entitlement and back payments.
People with disabilities: qualifying disability periods that fell in the affected timeframe will have certain DI waiting-period rules waived, enabling earlier benefit start dates for eligible claimants.
Seniors, retirees, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals: the SSA must identify affected individuals and run a notification program, making it easier for eligible people to learn about and claim missed benefits.
Taxpayers: the bill will likely increase federal outlays because of retroactive SSA payments and additional costs to implement GAO-recommended fixes, raising budgetary cost pressures.
Seniors, retirees, and people with disabilities: a broad, discretionary definition of "undue hardship" and authority for the Commissioner to add reasons could produce inconsistent applications, legal disputes, and uneven access to relief.
State and local governments: agencies will face administrative burdens and possible costs to adjust eligibility rules and implement the prohibition on counting retroactive payments for means-tested programs.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Requires SSA to treat people who didn't apply for Title II or XVI benefits during Jan 20, 2025–Jan 19, 2029 as having applied due to "undue hardship," waives some DI waiting rules, and orders a GAO report.
Introduced November 20, 2025 by Norma Judith Torres · Last progress November 20, 2025
Requires the Social Security Administration to treat people who did not apply for Title II (OASDI) or Title XVI (SSI) benefits because of an “undue hardship” during a defined four‑year period as if they had applied as of the date the hardship occurred or the date they met entitlement requirements. The agency must identify affected individuals and create a notification program, waive certain disability waiting‑period rules for qualifying disability periods in that window, and exclude any payments made under this authority from means‑testing for other federally funded programs. The Government Accountability Office must report on SSA actions and recommend repairs to harms from actions taken during the same four‑year window.