INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEE SHORT-TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE ACT OF 2019; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 155
(Extensions of Remarks - September 25, 2019)
Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1205]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEE SHORT-TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE
ACT OF 2019
______
HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
of the district of columbia
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Federal Employee
Short-Term Disability Insurance Act of 2019, which would help provide
financial relief for federal employees who have a short-term injury or
disability, become pregnant, or develop a pregnancy-related illness.
This bill would offer federal employees short-term disability insurance
at no cost to the federal government. Employees would be responsible
for 100 percent of the premiums and be able to receive disability
insurance benefits for up to one year, which would replace a portion of
their lost income due to a non-work-related injury or illness or
pregnancy. These benefits would be particularly advantageous to ensure
that our federal employees, who do not yet enjoy paid maternity leave,
are able to utilize the 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave permitted by
federal law while continuing to pay their bills, buy groceries and make
their mortgage, car and other loan payments without depleting their
retirement or other savings accounts. Too many federal employees do not
take advantage of the full amount of federal unpaid maternity leave
they and their newborn need because they have no way to replace the
lost income.
I decided to investigate how we could provide short-term disability
insurance for federal employees after learning that many of them
already buy short-term disability insurance as individuals in the
private market at high individual rates. Although federal employees
have good health insurance, federal health benefits do not replace lost
income if employees are unable to work. Moreover, while federal
employees may have available sick or annual leave days, they may not
have enough such days to pay the bills if they have to be out of work
for an extended period, such as following surgery. Although there are
long-term disability options for federal employees who become
permanently disabled, federal employees do not qualify for such
benefits until they have worked for the federal government for at least
18 months. My bill does no more than put federal employees in the same
position as many oftheir private-sector counterparts, who often have
access to disability insurance through an employer at group rates, an
option unavailable to federal employees. This bill would not allow
participating insurance companies to exclude persons based on
preexisting conditions. Because of the federal government's purchasing
power, this bill would provide these benefits at a more competitive
rate than is available for employees purchasing as individuals, as many
do. Under the bill, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management
would contract with private carriers to provide this coverage,
essentially providing the equivalent of group coverage available to
workers in the private sector.
According to the Social Security Administration, a 20-year-old worker
has a one-in-four chance of becoming disabled by retirement age. The
majority of disabilities are not caused by major accidents, but by
injury or illnesses, such as back injuries or cancer, according to the
Council for Disability Awareness. There is every reason to allow our
federal employees to take advantage of the federal government's group
rates to obtain the most reasonable price if they choose to purchase
short-term disability coverage on their own at no cost to the federal
government.
I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.
____________________