B. SOCIAL SECURITY AMENDMENTS SINCE THE 2018 REPORT Since the Trustees submitted the 2018 report to Congress, one policy change has been implemented that is expected to have notable effects on the OASDI program. The Social Security Administration (SSA) implemented the Disability Redesign Prototype model in ten states in 1999. Among other features, the prototype model eliminated the reconsideration step in the disability appeals process. Beginning in 2019, SSA is reinstating the reconsideration step in these states, which will make the process uniform nationwide. This reinstatement is expected to decrease disability incidence rates very slightly beginning in 2020, and thus has a small but significant positive effect on the financial status of the DI program over the short-range period and a negligible positive effect over the long-range projection period. This report also incorporates the effects of one change in law and one change in policy with negligible effects over the short-range and long-range projection periods: • The Tribal Social Security Fairness Act of 2018, Public Law 115-243, was enacted on September 20, 2018. At the request of any Indian tribe, the Social Security Administration is directed to enter into an agreement to extend Social Security coverage to tribal council members. Such agreements, which are irrevocable, apply to all members of the council and to all services performed in their capacity as council members. • The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, policy was implemented on June 15, 2012, enabling certain other-than-lawful-permanent-resident immigrants who entered the United States as children to receive employment authorization. DACA was rescinded by the Administration on September 5, 2017, directing a phase out of the program to be carried out over the following two years. As of the time this report was drafted, the phase out has been held up in the court system. This year’s report accordingly assumes the phase out will be completed one year later than assumed in last year’s report. Sections IV.A.4 and IV.B.6 of this report provide further description of the magnitude of effects on the financial status of the OASDI program.
