Payment for Vocational Rehabilitation Services Furnished Individuals During Certain Months of Nonpayment of Supplemental Security Income Benefits

We are proposing to amend our regulations relating to payment for vocational rehabilitation (VR) services provided to recipients of supplemental security income (SSI) benefit payments based on disability or blindness under title XVI of the Social Security Act (the Act). These regulations reflect section 5037 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA 1990). Section 5037 of OBRA 1990 added section 1615(e) to the Act which authorizes the Commissioner of Social Security (the Commissioner) to pay a State VR agency for costs incurred in furnishing VR services to an individual during certain months for which the individual did not receive SSI payments based on disability or blindness as well as during months for which the individual did receive such payments. We also propose to amend our regulations on VR payments to clarify certain rules and remove some outdated rules.