--- title: HR 41. Congress; reduce waiting period for determination and approval of disability benefits for individuals living with lupus; urge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr41 cite_as: HR 41, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr41 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr41.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr41/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69446 date: 2025-01-28 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr40.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr42.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr41.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 41 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-01-17 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Kim Schofield - Karen Mathiak - Derrick Jackson - Sandra Scott - Viola Davis - Rhonda Burnough text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR41/2025 upstream_id: 1929523 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - lupus - disability benefits - Social Security - federal advocacy - chronic illness --- # HR 41. Congress; reduce waiting period for determination and approval of disability benefits for individuals living with lupus; urge ## Text House Resolution 41 By: Representatives Schofield of the 63rd, Mathiak of the 82nd, Jackson of the 68th, Scott of the 76th, Davis of the 87th, and others A RESOLUTION Urging Congress to reduce the waiting period for determination and approval of disability benefits for individuals living with lupus; to ensure equitable access to essential disability benefits for such individuals; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects multiple systems in the body, often resulting in severe pain, fatigue, organ damage, and life-altering complications; and WHEREAS, the unpredictable and debilitating nature of lupus frequently impairs individuals' ability to maintain consistent employment, making disability benefits a critical safety net; and WHEREAS, the current Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income approval processes often involve significant delays, exacerbating the financial and emotional strain on individuals living with lupus; and WHEREAS, individuals with lupus face unique challenges in documenting their condition due to the disease's complexity, variability, and often subjective symptoms, contributing to high rates of initial claim denials and prolonged appeals processes; and WHEREAS, timely access to disability benefits is essential for individuals with lupus to afford medical care, medications, and basic living expenses necessary for their survival and well-being. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that this body urges Congress to prioritize reforms to the federal disability determination process to address the unique challenges faced by individuals living with lupus, including, but not limited to: (a) Expedited processing for claims involving lupus; (b) Improved education and training for disability claims examiners and adjudicators on lupus' medical complexities; (c) Development of clearer guidelines for evaluating lupus-related disability claims to reduce inconsistencies and high denial rates; and (d) Increased funding for the Social Security Administration to improve claim processing times and resources for individuals with lupus. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Congress is urged to collaborate with medical experts, patient advocacy organizations, and community stakeholders to ensure that lupus patients receive fair and timely access to the disability benefits they deserve. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and to each member of the Congressional delegation from this state. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution urges Congress to speed up the federal disability benefits approval process for people living with lupus, calling for faster claims handling and better training for claims examiners. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change Georgia law. It is a formal statement from the Georgia House of Representatives calling on the United States Congress to reform how the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs process disability claims from people with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease. The resolution asks Congress to expedite lupus-related claims, better train claims examiners and adjudicators on the disease's medical complexity, create clearer evaluation guidelines to cut down on inconsistent denials, and increase funding for the Social Security Administration to improve processing times. It also urges Congress to work with medical experts and patient advocacy groups. The Clerk of the House is directed to send copies to the U.S. Senate President, the U.S. House Speaker, and Georgia's congressional delegation. ### What it does - Formally urges Congress to expedite disability claim processing for individuals with lupus. - Calls for improved training of federal disability claims examiners on the medical complexities of lupus. - Requests development of clearer federal guidelines for evaluating lupus-related disability claims to reduce denial rates. - Urges increased federal funding for the Social Security Administration to speed up claim processing. - Directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to congressional leaders and Georgia's federal delegation. ### Who it affects Georgians living with lupus who apply for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income, along with federal disability claims examiners, the Social Security Administration, and members of Georgia's congressional delegation who would receive the resolution. ### Why it matters Because this is a resolution rather than a law, it does not change any rules on its own. It signals the Georgia House's position and asks Congress to act, which could affect how quickly lupus patients receive disability benefits if federal lawmakers respond to the request. ### Key provisions - States the rationale that lupus is a chronic, unpredictable autoimmune disease that often prevents steady employment and complicates disability documentation. - Resolves that the House urges Congress to prioritize reforms including expedited processing, examiner training, clearer guidelines, and more Social Security Administration funding. - Urges Congress to collaborate with medical experts, patient advocacy groups, and community stakeholders on the issue. - Directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies to the U.S. Senate President, U.S. House Speaker, and Georgia's congressional delegation. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-01-17) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-01-28) - Sponsors: Kim Schofield, Karen Mathiak, Derrick Jackson, Sandra Scott, Viola Davis, Rhonda Burnough - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69446 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr41.md?full=1