Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. form letter to constituent, 1999

FIELD(letterdate) FIELD(nameline) FIELD(title) FIELD(organization 1 ) FIELD(organization2) FIELD(addressl) FIELD(address2) FIELD(address3) FIELD(address4) IFNOTBLANK(city)FIELD(city), FIELD(state) FIELD(zip9)ENDIF Dear FIELD(salutation2b): Thank you for contacting me with regard to H.R. 1601, the Blind Empowerment Act of 1999 (BE A), which I introduced. I appreciate your kind comments, and I am writing to follow up on your concerns with my legislation. As you may know, for nearly twenty years, the blind and senior citizens were "linked" for the purposes of the Social Security Earnings Test. This historic linkage was inadvertently "broken" in 1996 when the blind were excluded when Congress raised the earnings limit for seniors. This means a lower earnings limit for the blind— $12,000 as compared to $1 5,500 for seniors in 1999— is in effect. By 2002, when the exemption for seniors reaches $30,000, the lower limit created by Congress for the blind in 1996 will be less than half the amount allowed for seniors. By introducing H.R. 1601, which currently has over 250 co-sponsors, I am working hard to restore this link so that we do not roll back the progress of the past two decades. Approximately, 70 to 80 percent of working-age blind people are underemployed or unemployed. Sadly, blindness is often associated with adverse social and economic consequences. It is oftentimes more difficult for blind individuals to find sustained employment or, for that matter, employment at all compared to sighted individuals with similar education and skills. I understand your concern the BEA only addresses the blind and not other individuals with disabilities. In an era of budget surplus and need for additional, capable workers in a tight labor market, let me assure you Congress is working to provide working incentives for the disabled. In addition to H.R. 1601, Congress is currently considering H.R. 1180, the Work Incentives Improvement Act, of 1999 introduced by my friend and colleague, Rep. Rick Lazio (R- NY). This bipartisan legislation creates new options for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Social Security Insurance (SSI) beneficiaries to keep the health care coverage they would otherwise be entitled to if they did not work. It also supports a public-private approach to job training and placement assistance for individuals with disabilities who want to work and