View all text of Subchapter II [§ 401 - § 434]
§ 434. Demonstration project authority
(a) Authority
(1) In generalThe Commissioner of Social Security (in this section referred to as the “Commissioner”) shall develop and carry out experiments and demonstration projects designed to promote attachment to the labor force and to determine the relative advantages and disadvantages of—
(A) various alternative methods of treating the work activity of individuals entitled to disability insurance benefits under section 423 of this title or to monthly insurance benefits under section 402 of this title based on such individual’s disability (as defined in section 423(d) of this title), including such methods as a reduction in benefits based on earnings, designed to encourage the return to work of such individuals;
(B) altering other limitations and conditions applicable to such individuals (including lengthening the trial work period (as defined in section 422(c) of this title), altering the 24-month waiting period for hospital insurance benefits under section 426 of this title, altering the manner in which the program under this subchapter is administered, earlier referral of such individuals for rehabilitation, and greater use of employers and others to develop, perform, and otherwise stimulate new forms of rehabilitation); and
(C) implementing sliding scale benefit offsets using variations in—
(i) the amount of the offset as a proportion of earned income;
(ii) the duration of the offset period; and
(iii) the method of determining the amount of income earned by such individuals,
to the end that savings will accrue to the Trust Funds, or to otherwise promote the objectives or facilitate the administration of this subchapter.
(2) Authority for expansion of scope
(b) Requirements
(c) Authority to waive compliance with benefits requirements
(d) Reports
(1) Interim reports
(2) Termination and final report
(e) Additional requirementsIn developing and carrying out any experiment or demonstration project under this section, the Commissioner may not require any individual to participate in such experiment or demonstration project and shall ensure—
(1) that the voluntary participation of individuals in such experiment or demonstration project is obtained through informed written consent which satisfies the requirements for informed consent established by the Commissioner for use in such experiment or demonstration project in which human subjects are at risk;
(2) that any individual’s voluntary agreement to participate in any such experiment or demonstration project may be revoked by such individual at any time; and
(3) that such experiment or demonstration project is expected to yield statistically significant results.
(f) Promoting opportunity demonstration project
(1) In general
(2) Benefit offsetUnder the demonstration project described in this paragraph, with respect to any individual participating in the project who is otherwise entitled to a benefit under section 423(a)(1) of this title for a month—
(A) any such benefit otherwise payable to the individual for such month (other than a benefit payable for any month prior to the 1st month beginning after the date on which the individual’s entitlement to such benefit is determined) shall be reduced by $1 for each $2 by which the individual’s earnings derived from services paid during such month exceeds an amount equal to the individual’s impairment-related work expenses for such month (as determined under paragraph (3)), except that such benefit may not be reduced below $0;
(B) no benefit shall be payable under section 402 of this title on the basis of the wages and self-employment income of the individual for any month for which the benefit of such individual under section 423(a)(1) of this title is reduced to $0 pursuant to subparagraph (A);
(C) entitlement to any benefit described in subparagraph (A) or (B) shall not terminate due to earnings derived from services except following the first month for which such benefit has been reduced to $0 pursuant to subparagraph (A) (and the trial work period (as defined in section 422(c) of this title) and extended period of eligibility shall not apply to any such individual for any such month); and
(D) in any case in which such an individual is entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of subchapter XVIII by reason of section 426(b) of this title and such individual’s entitlement to a benefit described in subparagraph (A) or (B) or status as a qualified railroad retirement beneficiary is terminated pursuant to subparagraph (C), such individual shall be deemed to be entitled to such benefits or to occupy such status (notwithstanding the termination of such entitlement or status) for the period of consecutive months throughout all of which the physical or mental impairment, on which such entitlement or status was based, continues, and throughout all of which such individual would have been entitled to monthly insurance benefits under subchapter II or as a qualified railroad retirement beneficiary had such termination of entitlement or status not occurred, but not in excess of 93 such months.
(3) Impairment-related work expenses
(A) In general
(B) Minimum threshold amount
(C) Exception for itemized impairment-related work expenses
(i) In general
(ii) Definition
(D) Limitation
(Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, title II, § 234, as added Pub. L. 106–170, title III, § 301(a), Dec. 17, 1999, 113 Stat. 1900; amended Pub. L. 108–203, title IV, § 401, Mar. 2, 2004, 118 Stat. 525; Pub. L. 114–74, title VIII, §§ 821–823, Nov. 2, 2015, 129 Stat. 605.)