((a)) ** In general**
((1)) There are hereby authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal year ending , $5,000,000 and for each fiscal year thereafter such sums as the Congress may determine for (A) making grants to States and public and other organizations and agencies for paying part of the cost of research or demonstration projects such as those relating to the prevention and reduction of dependency, or which will aid in effecting coordination of planning between private and public welfare agencies or which will help improve the administration and effectiveness of programs carried on or assisted under this chapter and programs related thereto, and (B) making contracts or jointly financed cooperative arrangements with States and public and other organizations and agencies for the conduct of research or demonstration projects relating to such matters.
((2)) No contract or jointly financed cooperative arrangement shall be entered into, and no grant shall be made, under paragraph (1), until the Secretary (or the Commissioner, with respect to any jointly financed cooperative agreement or grant concerning subchapters II or XVI) obtains the advice and recommendations of specialists who are competent to evaluate the proposed projects as to soundness of their design, the possibilities of securing productive results, the adequacy of resources to conduct the proposed research or demonstrations, and their relationship to other similar research or demonstrations already completed or in process.
((3)) Grants and payments under contracts or cooperative arrangements under paragraph (1) may be made either in advance or by way of reimbursement, as may be determined by the Secretary (or the Commissioner, with respect to any jointly financed cooperative agreement or grant concerning subchapter II or XVI); and shall be made in such installments and on such conditions as the Secretary (or the Commissioner, as applicable) finds necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection.
((b)) ** Limitations and costs**
((1)) The Commissioner is authorized to waive any of the requirements, conditions, or limitations of subchapter XVI (or to waive them only for specified purposes, or to impose additional requirements, conditions, or limitations) to such extent and for such period as the Commissioner finds necessary to carry out one or more experimental, pilot, or demonstration projects which, in the Commissioner’s judgment, are likely to assist in promoting the objectives or facilitate the administration of such subchapter. Any costs for benefits under or administration of any such project (including planning for the project and the review and evaluation of the project and its results), in excess of those that would have been incurred without regard to the project, shall be met by the Commissioner from amounts available to the Commissioner for this purpose from appropriations made to carry out such subchapter. The costs of any such project which is carried out in coordination with one or more related projects under other subchapters of this chapter shall be allocated among the appropriations available for such projects and any Trust Funds involved, in a manner determined by the Commissioner with respect to the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance programs under subchapter II and the supplemental security income program under subchapter XVI, and by the Secretary with respect to other subchapters of this chapter, taking into consideration the programs (or types of benefit) to which the project (or part of a project) is most closely related or which the project (or part of a project) is intended to benefit. If, in order to carry out a project under this subsection, the Commissioner requests a State to make supplementary payments (or the Commissioner makes them pursuant to an agreement under ) to individuals who are not eligible therefor, or in amounts or under circumstances in which the State does not make such payments, the Commissioner shall reimburse such State for the non-Federal share of such payments from amounts appropriated to carry out subchapter XVI. If, in order to carry out a project under this subsection, the Secretary requests a State to provide medical assistance under its plan approved under subchapter XIX to individuals who are not eligible therefor, or in amounts or under circumstances in which the State does not provide such medical assistance, the Secretary shall reimburse such State for the non-Federal share of such assistance from amounts appropriated to carry out subchapter XVI, which shall be provided by the Commissioner to the Secretary for this purpose.
((2)) With respect to the participation of recipients of supplemental security income benefits in experimental, pilot, or demonstration projects under this subsection—
((A)) the Commissioner is not authorized to carry out any project that would result in a substantial reduction in any individual’s total income and resources as a result of his or her participation in the project;
((B)) the Commissioner may not require any individual to participate in a project; and the Commissioner shall assure (i) that the voluntary participation of individuals in any project is obtained through informed written consent which satisfies the requirements for informed consent established by the Commissioner for use in any experimental, pilot, or demonstration project in which human subjects are at risk, and (ii) that any individual’s voluntary agreement to participate in any project may be revoked by such individual at any time;
((C)) the Commissioner shall, to the extent feasible and appropriate, include recipients who are under age 18 as well as adult recipients; and
((D)) the Commissioner shall include in the projects carried out under this section such experimental, pilot, or demonstration projects as may be necessary to ascertain the feasibility of treating alcoholics and drug addicts to prevent the onset of irreversible medical conditions which may result in permanent disability, including programs in residential care treatment centers.
((c)) ** Survey of use of payments**
((1)) In addition to the amount otherwise appropriated in any other law to carry out subsection (a) for fiscal year 2004, up to $8,500,000 is authorized and appropriated and shall be used by the Commissioner of Social Security under this subsection for purposes of conducting a statistically valid survey to determine how payments made to individuals, organizations, and State or local government agencies that are representative payees for benefits paid under subchapter II or XVI are being managed and used on behalf of the beneficiaries for whom such benefits are paid.
((2)) Not later than 18 months after , the Commissioner of Social Security shall submit a report on the survey conducted in accordance with paragraph (1) to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate.