Social Security benefits and supplemental security income; continued payment of benefits to persons in vocational rehabilitation programs--SSA. Interim rule with request for comments.

Section 301 of Pub. L. 96-265, which added sections 225(b) and 1631(a)(6) to the Social Security Act (the Act), requires the Social Security Administration to continue disability benefits under title II or title XVI of the Act to persons whose disability has medically ceased if the person is in an approved vocational rehabilitation (VR) program under a State plan at the time disability medically ceases and we determine that completion of the program, or continuation for a specified period of time, will increase the likelihood that the person will be permanently removed from the disability rolls. Our regulations are now being revised to extend consideration for eligibility under these provisions to all persons who medically recover while in an approved VR program, without regard to whether the person was expected at the outset of the VR program to medically recover before the scheduled completion date of that program. These regulations reflect the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in the case of Paskel, et al. v. Heckler, 768 F.2d 540 (3rd Cir. 1985).