S. 4947 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Jul 13, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExtends work programs for disabled Social Security recipients
The Social Security Administration has been testing different ways to help people with disabilities stay connected to work through special demonstration projects. This bill extends the government's authority to run these projects through 2031. It also adds some guardrails: participants must volunteer to join, the government has to give Congress more notice before starting a project, and people's total income can't drop because they're participating.
How it affects you
If you receive Social Security Disability Insurance and the SSA invites you to participate in one of these demonstration projects, you'd have the choice to try new work-related policies without risking your overall income. Most other people won't directly notice this change, since it mainly affects how the SSA tests and improves its disability programs.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Jul 13, 2026)
Removing Barriers to Work for Disabled Americans Act
This bill reauthorizes through 2031 the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) authority to carry out demonstration projects within the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. The bill also imposes requirements related to beneficiary income, project funding, and SSA reporting.
SSDI demonstration projects must be designed to promote attachment to the workforce and generally involve temporary changes to SSDI policies tested on a subset of beneficiaries. Participation in a demonstration project must be voluntary. SSA’s authority to carry out these projects expired on December 31, 2022.
Under the bill, SSA must ensure that an individual’s participation in a demonstration project does not reduce their total income. Further, the bill specifies that administrative expenses related to demonstration projects must be paid from funds appropriated for administration.
Finally, the bill requires SSA to report to Congress 120 days before initiating a demonstration project. This is an increase from 90 days under current law. This advance notification must include evaluation metrics for the relevant project.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionS. 4947
A BILL
Removing Barriers to Work for Disabled Americans Act
Sponsor: Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) · Introduced Jul 13, 2026 · Social Welfare · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jul 13, 2026: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.”