article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``SSI Outreach Act of 1993''. SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. (a) Findings.--Congress finds that-- (1) many individuals, including senior citizens, homeless individuals, children, and disabled individuals, face extraordinary difficulties in securing benefits under the Social Security Act, the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and other Federal programs, to which they are otherwise entitled; (2) without the benefits under such programs these individuals, lacking any resources, are unable to secure other vital necessities; (3) many barriers exist that prevent potentially eligible individuals from securing benefits under such programs, including-- (A) communication barriers such as illiteracy in English or a foreign language and sensory impairments; (B) disabilities which limit mobility and connections to social services organizations; (C) homelessness often coupled with mental illness, drug addiction, or alcoholism; (D) distrust or fear of government bureaucracy; (E) concern that eligibility will preclude future work attempts; (F) lack of transportation; (G) lack of access to a telephone; (H) lack of an understanding of how to contact Social Security Administration field offices; (I) lack of any connections to social service organizations; and (J) cognitive or other mental impairments which limit a person's ability to understand benefits, rights, or procedures. (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to overcome the barriers to securing benefits under the Social Security Act and the Food Stamp Act of 1977 faced by many homeless individuals and other hard to reach populations by establishing an office in the Social Security Administration which will be responsible for coordinating outreach activities and services, including an outreach grant program. The grant program will help establish innovative approaches to identify individuals potentially eligible for such benefits and to aid such individuals in the application process for such benefits. SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF OUTREACH COORDINATION. (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (hereafter referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall, within 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, establish within the Social Security Administration an Office of Outreach Coordination, to be administered by a Director of Outreach Coordination (hereafter in this section referred to as the ``Director'') who shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Social Security. (b) Duties of the Director.--The Director shall-- (1) administer the grant program established under section 4 and provide technical assistance to the entities receiving grants under such section; (2) formulate and provide information and technical assistance to Social Security Administration field offices regarding-- (A) outreach policies and methods; and (B) local outreach activities and services; and (3) implement the requirements of section 1635 of the Social Security Act. SEC. 4. GRANTS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS FOR OUTREACH. (a) In General.--The Secretary shall, through the Office of Outreach Coordination in the Social Security Administration (established under section 3), provide grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations submitting applications to the Secretary under this section, to conduct outreach activities and services targeted at homeless individuals and other hard to reach populations, as determined appropriate by the Secretary. (b) Grant Criteria.--The Secretary shall provide grants under this section only to entities that demonstrate to the Secretary that the entities-- (1) have experience with low-income people; (2) have, in the case of entities applying for grants to work with a specific hard to reach population, sufficient experience in working with such population, including-- (A) knowledge of the community in which such population lives; and (B) proficiency in any applicable foreign language; (3) are able to conduct outreach activities and services appropriate to the targeted hard to reach population, including-- (A) regular visits to places frequented by homeless individuals, including soup kitchens, homeless shelters, street sites, and day centers; (B) the provision of information to individuals and organizations regarding eligibility for benefits under the Social Security Act and the Food Stamp Act of 1977, and provision of applications to apply for benefits under such programs; (C) the provision of assistance to individuals in completing applications to establish eligibility for benefits under the Social Security Act and benefits under the Food Stamp Act of 1977; and (D) the provision of assistance to individuals with respect to-- (i) obtaining appointments for any medical examination required in order to obtain benefits for which such individuals may be eligible under the Social Security Act so that all such examinations take place within 2 weeks after submission of the application for benefits under such Act; (ii) obtaining and developing evidence of disability and supporting documentation for nondisability-related eligibility requirements under the Social Security Act; and (iii) other matters relevant to obtaining benefits under the Social Security Act, including arranging transportation, and where appropriate, arranging for persons to accompany applicants to any necessary medical examinations; and (4) are able to meet such further requirements as the Secretary determines to be appropriate to carry out the purposes of this section. (c) Assistance to Applicants and Beneficiaries Who Are Homeless Individuals In Obtaining Needed Goods and Services.--An entity that receives a grant under this section to conduct outreach activities to homeless individuals may use some of the funds received under the grant to assist homeless individuals in gaining access to appropriate services in the community, including permanent housing assistance, nutrition, physical and mental health care, and case management services. (d) Reporting Requirements.--The Secretary shall provide that each entity receiving grants under this section shall be required to prepare and submit to the Office of Outreach Coordination an annual report on the use of grant funds and on the activities of the entity undertaken to carry out the purposes of this section. (e) Grant Funds.--In order to provide for grants under this section, the Secretary shall set aside and utilize no less than .37 percent of the amounts available on an annual basis for the administrative expenses of the Social Security Administration. (f) Administrative Provisions.--The Secretary shall-- (1) promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this section within 240 days after the date of the enactment of this Act; (2) notify local governments and nonprofit organizations of the availability of grant funds under this section within 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act; and (3) begin to award grants under this section as described in subsection (a) within 360 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter. SEC. 5. SPECIAL PROCEDURES RELATING TO HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS. (a) Expedited Consideration of Applications.--Within 240 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall promulgate regulations to ensure that, in determining disability for purposes of awarding benefits under the Social Security Act, priority consideration shall be given to applications received from homeless individuals. (b) Assistance in Filing Documents for Appeal and in Seeking Representation.--If the Secretary issues a decision to deny, suspend, reduce, or terminate benefits under the Social Security Act to a homeless individual, the Secretary shall take affirmative steps to locate the individual and-- (1) inform the individual of the importance of appealing such decision; and (2) if the individual indicates a desire to file such an appeal, assist the individual in filing the necessary forms. (c) Procedure Governing the Potential Denial or Suspension of Benefits for a Homeless Individual.-- (1) Determination.--Before the Secretary decides to deny, reduce, suspend, or terminate benefits under the Social Security Act to a homeless individual on the grounds that the individual must provide additional information before receiving, or continuing to receive, such benefits, the Secretary shall determine whether the individual is likely to have difficulty in responding to the request due to-- (A) a mental or physical impairment; (B) advanced age; (C) inability to communicate in English; (D) lack of transportation; (E) lack of a fixed address; or (F) any other comparable limitation. (2) Action.--If the Secretary determines that an individual has one of the limitations described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall-- (A) take affirmative steps to locate the individual and assist the individual in filing an appeal from an adverse decision regarding such benefits, and in securing the evidence required to establish eligibility for, or to restore, such benefits; and (B) try to contact the individual by telephone and, if unsuccessful, make a personal visit to the last known address of the individual, contact individuals in the neighborhood, friends, or the post office, of the individual, and, to assist in these efforts, contact social agencies, shelters, soup kitchens, and any other agencies that provide services to homeless individuals. (3) Restoration of benefits.--If the efforts described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) are unsuccessful, and such benefits are denied, suspended, reduced, or terminated, and the individual within 12 months of such denial, suspension, reduction, or termination contacts the Social Security Administration with the necessary information to seek restoration of benefits, the Secretary shall-- (A) immediately resume payment of such benefits; and (B) from funds retained in the local office accounts, pay the benefits of the individual for the current month and for subsequent months until regular monthly payments of benefits resume. (d) Regulations on Presumptive Disability.--Within 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall promulgate regulations to ensure that presumptive disability payments made under section 1631(a)(4)(A) of the Social Security Act and emergency advance payments made under section 1631(a)(4)(B) of such Act are fully available to homeless individuals. SEC. 6. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. (a) Evaluations.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary shall prepare an evaluation of the activities carried out under this Act. (2) Criteria.--At a minimum, the criteria used by the Secretary in evaluating such activities shall-- (A) fully take into account the special circumstances of the individuals reached through the outreach activities conducted under this Act and the need of such individuals for personalized attention and follow-through assistance; and (B) emphasize the extent to which-- (i) the procedures used to carry out the outreach activities take into account such circumstances; and (ii) the assistance made available to such individuals through such activities meets such need. (b) Reports.--Not less frequently than annually, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a full and complete report containing the evaluation described in subsection (a) and such recommendations for additional legislative or regulatory action as the Secretary may determine to be appropriate. SEC. 7. DEFINITION. For purposes of this Act, the term ``homeless individual'' means any individual-- (1) who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; or (2) whose primary nighttime residence is-- (A) a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including a welfare hotel, a congregate shelter, and transitional housing for the mentally ill); (B) an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or (C) a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
summary: SSI Outreach Act of 1993 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish within the Social Security Administration an Office of Outreach Coordination to: (1) administer a program under which the Secretary provides grants and technical assistance to local governments and nonprofit organizations for outreach activities and services targeted at obtaining various assistance for homeless individuals and other hard to reach populations; (2) formulate and provide information and technical assistance to Social Security Administration field offices regarding outreach policies and methods and local outreach activities and services; and (3) implement the requirements of title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act relating to the outreach program for children. Sets forth special rules governing the provision of social security benefits to homeless individuals.