Blind workers gain right to earn without losing Social Security benefits

What it does

This bill creates a 20-year federal demonstration project allowing blind individuals receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) to work and earn income without losing their benefits. Instead of losing benefits dollar-for-dollar when they earn above a threshold, blind workers will have their benefits reduced by only $1 for every $2 earned above an exempt amount plus work-related expenses. The project removes the usual time limits on how long blind workers can test employment (trial work period) and prevents benefits from terminating due to earnings, allowing blind individuals to return to work without fear of losing their safety net.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is to test a modified benefit structure that incentivizes work for blind SSDI beneficiaries by reducing the financial penalty for earning income. It is a targeted policy experiment, not a broad entitlement expansion or cut.

What the text implies

• The $1-for-$2 offset (rather than $1-for-$1) effectively subsidizes work by blind individuals; the cost to the Social Security Trust Fund depends on participation rates and earnings levels, which are not specified in the bill.
• The waiver authority in subsection (c) grants the Commissioner broad discretion to waive 'benefit requirements of this title' — the scope and limits of that waiver power are not detailed in this text and depend on existing statutory language in Title II.
• The 120-month eligibility window (first 10 years of the 20-year project) creates a cohort effect; individuals who enter the program late in the project window will have fewer years to benefit, potentially creating fairness questions.
• Removal of the trial work period and termination-month rules may interact with other Social Security provisions (e.g., Medicare continuation, family benefits) in ways not addressed in this bill text.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Blind individuals on SSDI gain a concrete financial advantage: they can work and earn without losing benefits dollar-for-dollar, and their benefits cannot terminate due to earnings. This removes a major barrier to employment and self-sufficiency for a vulnerable population, allowing them to combine work income with partial benefits rather than face an all-or-nothing choice.

Who stands to gain

• blind individuals receiving SSDI (primary beneficiaries)

Named in the bill

Social Security Administration, Commissioner of Social Security, Title II of the Social Security Act, Section 223 (SSDI), Section 216(i)(1) (blindness definition), Section 222(c) (trial work period), Section 1148 (work incentive programs)

Where it stands

54 cosponsors: 34 Democrats, 20 Republicans.

• Feb 10, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 10, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 3 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $80,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 11 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Pete Sessions, the sponsor, reported $561,450 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Sazerac Company, Inc. — $60,000 on 1 filing
• National Federation of the Blind — $20,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.