To amend the Social Security Act to provide retirement security to United States nationals who were unlawfully or wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Collins, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill ensures that Americans who were held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad do not lose out on Social Security retirement benefits because of time spent in captivity. It amends the Social Security Act to credit these individuals with "deemed wages" for each month they were detained, so their time in captivity counts toward their retirement benefits as if they had been working.
Who Benefits and How
U.S. nationals who were wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad benefit directly. They will receive Social Security credits equal to 1/12th of the national average wage for each month of captivity. This means someone detained for years will not have a gap in their earnings record that would otherwise reduce their retirement benefits or survivor benefits for their families.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Social Security Administration faces new administrative responsibilities. The Commissioner must create regulations within one year and process applications that include federal agency documentation certifying the detention. Taxpayers indirectly bear the cost through the Social Security system, though the number of qualifying individuals is small (those formally designated as wrongfully detained under the Robert Levinson Act).
Key Provisions
- Creates a new Section 235 of the Social Security Act specifically for hostages and wrongfully detained Americans
- Defines "qualifying individuals" as those certified under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act
- Credits deemed wages at the national average wage rate for each month of detention
- Covers detention periods retroactively (before, on, or after the bill's enactment)
- Requires applicants to submit federal agency documentation proving their detention status
- Takes effect 24 months after enactment to allow time for regulatory development
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
This bill amends the Social Security Act to provide retirement security benefits for U.S. nationals who were unlawfully or wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_commissioner_of_social_security"
- → Commissioner of Social Security
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Documentation of a determination made by a Federal agency that the individual satisfies the requirements under subsection (a)(2), including the period during which the individual was unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad or held hostage abroad.
Any month during which an individual was unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad or held hostage abroad, beginning before, on, or after the date of enactment.
A U.S. national unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad, as determined under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act.
An amount equal to 1/12th of the national average wage index for the second calendar year preceding the calendar year in which a qualifying month occurs.
Documentation of a determination made by a Federal agency that the individual satisfies the requirements under subsection (a)(2), including the period during which the individual was unlawfully or wrongfully detained abroad or held hostage abroad.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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