US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

42 U.S.C. § 1310

Cooperative research or demonstration projects

(a)

In general

(1)
There are hereby authorized to be appropriated for the fiscal year ending , $5,000,000 and for each fiscal year thereafter such sums as the Congress may determine for (A) making grants to States and public and other organizations and agencies for paying part of the cost of research or demonstration projects such as those relating to the prevention and reduction of dependency, or which will aid in effecting coordination of planning between private and public welfare agencies or which will help improve the administration and effectiveness of programs carried on or assisted under this chapter and programs related thereto, and (B) making contracts or jointly financed cooperative arrangements with States and public and other organizations and agencies for the conduct of research or demonstration projects relating to such matters.
(2)
No contract or jointly financed cooperative arrangement shall be entered into, and no grant shall be made, under paragraph (1), until the Secretary (or the Commissioner, with respect to any jointly financed cooperative agreement or grant concerning subchapters II or XVI) obtains the advice and recommendations of specialists who are competent to evaluate the proposed projects as to soundness of their design, the possibilities of securing productive results, the adequacy of resources to conduct the proposed research or demonstrations, and their relationship to other similar research or demonstrations already completed or in process.
(3)
Grants and payments under contracts or cooperative arrangements under paragraph (1) may be made either in advance or by way of reimbursement, as may be determined by the Secretary (or the Commissioner, with respect to any jointly financed cooperative agreement or grant concerning subchapter II or XVI); and shall be made in such installments and on such conditions as the Secretary (or the Commissioner, as applicable) finds necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection.
(b)

Limitations and costs

(1)
section 1382e of this title The Commissioner is authorized to waive any of the requirements, conditions, or limitations of subchapter XVI (or to waive them only for specified purposes, or to impose additional requirements, conditions, or limitations) to such extent and for such period as the Commissioner finds necessary to carry out one or more experimental, pilot, or demonstration projects which, in the Commissioner’s judgment, are likely to assist in promoting the objectives or facilitate the administration of such subchapter. Any costs for benefits under or administration of any such project (including planning for the project and the review and evaluation of the project and its results), in excess of those that would have been incurred without regard to the project, shall be met by the Commissioner from amounts available to the Commissioner for this purpose from appropriations made to carry out such subchapter. The costs of any such project which is carried out in coordination with one or more related projects under other subchapters of this chapter shall be allocated among the appropriations available for such projects and any Trust Funds involved, in a manner determined by the Commissioner with respect to the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance programs under subchapter II and the supplemental security income program under subchapter XVI, and by the Secretary with respect to other subchapters of this chapter, taking into consideration the programs (or types of benefit) to which the project (or part of a project) is most closely related or which the project (or part of a project) is intended to benefit. If, in order to carry out a project under this subsection, the Commissioner requests a State to make supplementary payments (or the Commissioner makes them pursuant to an agreement under ) to individuals who are not eligible therefor, or in amounts or under circumstances in which the State does not make such payments, the Commissioner shall reimburse such State for the non-Federal share of such payments from amounts appropriated to carry out subchapter XVI. If, in order to carry out a project under this subsection, the Secretary requests a State to provide medical assistance under its plan approved under subchapter XIX to individuals who are not eligible therefor, or in amounts or under circumstances in which the State does not provide such medical assistance, the Secretary shall reimburse such State for the non-Federal share of such assistance from amounts appropriated to carry out subchapter XVI, which shall be provided by the Commissioner to the Secretary for this purpose.
(2)
With respect to the participation of recipients of supplemental security income benefits in experimental, pilot, or demonstration projects under this subsection—
(A)
the Commissioner is not authorized to carry out any project that would result in a substantial reduction in any individual’s total income and resources as a result of his or her participation in the project;
(B)
the Commissioner may not require any individual to participate in a project; and the Commissioner shall assure (i) that the voluntary participation of individuals in any project is obtained through informed written consent which satisfies the requirements for informed consent established by the Commissioner for use in any experimental, pilot, or demonstration project in which human subjects are at risk, and (ii) that any individual’s voluntary agreement to participate in any project may be revoked by such individual at any time;
(C)
the Commissioner shall, to the extent feasible and appropriate, include recipients who are under age 18 as well as adult recipients; and
(D)
the Commissioner shall include in the projects carried out under this section such experimental, pilot, or demonstration projects as may be necessary to ascertain the feasibility of treating alcoholics and drug addicts to prevent the onset of irreversible medical conditions which may result in permanent disability, including programs in residential care treatment centers.
(c)

Survey of use of payments

(1)
In addition to the amount otherwise appropriated in any other law to carry out subsection (a) for fiscal year 2004, up to $8,500,000 is authorized and appropriated and shall be used by the Commissioner of Social Security under this subsection for purposes of conducting a statistically valid survey to determine how payments made to individuals, organizations, and State or local government agencies that are representative payees for benefits paid under subchapter II or XVI are being managed and used on behalf of the beneficiaries for whom such benefits are paid.
(2)
Not later than 18 months after , the Commissioner of Social Security shall submit a report on the survey conducted in accordance with paragraph (1) to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate.

Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531Aug. 1, 1956, ch. 83670 Stat. 850Pub. L. 90–248, title II, § 24681 Stat. 918Pub. L. 96–265, title V, § 505(b)94 Stat. 474Pub. L. 98–369, div. B, title III, § 2331(a)98 Stat. 1088Pub. L. 99–272, title XII, § 12101(d)100 Stat. 283Pub. L. 103–296, title I, § 108(b)(7)108 Stat. 1482Pub. L. 105–33, title V, § 5524111 Stat. 623Pub. L. 106–170, title IV, § 404(a)113 Stat. 1910Pub. L. 108–203, title I, § 107(a)118 Stat. 506(, title XI, § 1110, as added , title III, § 331, ; amended , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , .)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Pub. L. 108–2032004—Subsec. (c). added subsec. (c).

Pub. L. 106–1701999—Subsec. (a)(3). substituted “subchapter II or XVI” for “subchapter XVI”.

Pub. L. 105–331997—Subsec. (a)(3). inserted “(or the Commissioner, with respect to any jointly financed cooperative agreement or grant concerning subchapter XVI)” after “Secretary” the first place appearing and “(or the Commissioner, as applicable)” after “Secretary” the second place appearing.

Pub. L. 103–296, § 108(b)(7)(B)1994—Subsec. (a)(2). , inserted “(or the Commissioner, with respect to any jointly financed cooperative agreement or grant concerning subchapters II or XVI)” after “Secretary”.

Pub. L. 103–296, § 108(b)(7)(A)section 1382e of this titleSubsec. (b)(1). , (C), in first sentence substituted “The Commissioner” for “The Secretary”, “as the Commissioner” for “as he”, and “in the Commissioner’s judgment” for “in his judgment”, in second sentence substituted “by the Commissioner” for “by the Secretary” and “available to the Commissioner” for “available to him”, in third sentence substituted “determined by the Commissioner with respect to the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance programs under subchapter II and the supplemental security income program under subchapter XVI, and by the Secretary with respect to other subchapters of this chapter,” for “determined by the Secretary,”, and substituted fourth and fifth sentences for former fourth sentence which read as follows: “If, in order to carry out a project under this subsection, the Secretary requests a State to make supplementary payments (or makes them himself pursuant to an agreement under ), or to provide medical assistance under its plan approved under subchapter XIX, to individuals who are not eligible therefor, or in amounts or under circumstances in which the State does not make such payments or provide such medical assistance, the Secretary shall reimburse such State for the non-Federal share of such payments or assistance from amounts appropriated to carry out subchapter XVI.”

Pub. L. 103–296, § 108(b)(7)(A)Subsec. (b)(2). , (D), substituted “the Commissioner” for “the Secretary” wherever appearing and “the Commissioner shall” for “he shall” in subpar. (B).

Pub. L. 103–296, § 108(b)(7)(E)section 904 of this titleSubsec. (b)(3). , struck out par. (3) which read as follows: “All reports of the Secretary with respect to projects carried out under this subsection shall be incorporated into the Secretary’s annual report to the Congress required by .”

Pub. L. 99–2721986—Subsec. (b)(3). added par. (3).

Pub. L. 98–3691984—Subsec. (a)(1)(A). struck out “nonprofit” before first reference to “organizations and agencies”.

Pub. L. 96–2651980— redesignated provisions of subsec. (a) and cls. (1) and (2) thereof as subsec. (a)(1) and cls. (A) and (B) thereof, respectively, redesignated provisions of subsecs. (b) and (c) as subsec. (a)(2) and (3), respectively, added subsec. (b), and made conforming amendments to subsec. (a)(2) and (3) as redesignated.

Pub. L. 90–2481968—Subsec. (a). struck out “nonprofit” before “organizations” in cl. (2).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1999 Amendment

Pub. L. 106–170, title IV, § 404(b)113 Stat. 1910

Public Law 103–296108 Stat. 1464“The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall take effect as if included in the enactment of the Social Security Independence and Program Improvements Act of 1994 (; ).”
, , , provided that:

Effective Date of 1997 Amendment

Pub. L. 105–33Pub. L. 103–296section 5528(b) of Pub. L. 105–33section 903 of this titleAmendment by effective as if included in the enactment of the Social Security Independence and Program Improvements Act of 1994, , see , set out as a note under .

Effective Date of 1994 Amendment

Pub. L. 103–296section 110(a) of Pub. L. 103–296section 401 of this titleAmendment by effective , see , set out as a note under .

Effective Date of 1986 Amendment

Pub. L. 99–272section 12115 of Pub. L. 99–272section 415 of this titleAmendment by effective on first day of month following April 1986, see , set out as a note under .

Effective Date of 1984 Amendment

Pub. L. 98–369, div. B, title III, § 2331(c)98 Stat. 1088

section 1395b–1 of this title“The amendments made by this section [amending this section and ] shall become effective on the date of the enactment of this Act [].”
, , , provided that:

Vocational Rehabilitation Demonstration Projects

Pub. L. 101–508, title V, § 5120(a)104 Stat. 1388–280–(e), , , directed Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and carry out under this section demonstration projects in each of not fewer than three States, with such demonstration projects to be designed to assess the advantages and disadvantages of permitting disabled beneficiaries to select from among both public and private qualified vocational rehabilitation providers, providers of vocational rehabilitation services directed at enabling such beneficiaries to engage in substantial gainful activities, with each such demonstration project to commence as soon as practicable after , and to remain in operation until the end of fiscal year 1993, and with a final written report to be submitted to Congress not later than .

Final Report Covering All Experiments and Demonstration Projects

Pub. L. 96–265, title V, § 505(c)94 Stat. 475Pub. L. 99–272, title XII, § 12101(c)100 Stat. 283Pub. L. 101–239, title X, § 10103(a)(3)103 Stat. 2472Pub. L. 101–508, title V, § 5120(f)104 Stat. 1388–282Pub. L. 103–296, title I, § 108(m)(3)108 Stat. 1489section 505 of Pub. L. 96–265section 401 of this titlePub. L. 101–508Pub. L. 106–170, title III, § 301(b)(1)(A)113 Stat. 1902, , , as amended by , , ; , , ; , , ; , title III, § 315(a)(3), , , 1531, which directed Commissioner to submit to Congress final report with respect to all experiments and demonstration projects carried out under , which amended this section and and enacted provisions formerly set out below (other than demonstration projects conducted under section 5120 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation of 1990, , set out above) no later than , was repealed by , , .

Authority for Demonstration Projects; Report to Congress

Pub. L. 96–265, title V, § 505(a)(1)94 Stat. 473Pub. L. 99–272, title XII, § 12101(a)100 Stat. 282Pub. L. 101–239, title X, § 10103(a)(1)103 Stat. 2472Pub. L. 103–296, title I, § 108(m)108 Stat. 1489Pub. L. 106–170, title III, § 301(b)(1)(A)113 Stat. 1902–(4), , , as amended by , (b), , ; , (2), , ; , title III, § 315(a)(1), (2), , , 1531, which authorized Commissioner of Social Security to carry out demonstration projects to determine advantages and disadvantages of alternative methods of treating work activity of disabled beneficiaries under the old age, survivors, and disability insurance program and altering limitations and conditions applicable to such disabled beneficiaries, and required report to Congress on or before , and in each succeeding year through 1995, was repealed by , , .

Pub. L. 106–170, title III, § 301(b)(2)113 Stat. 1902

Pub. L. 96–26542 U.S.C. 131042 U.S.C. 434“With respect to any experiment or demonstration project being conducted under section 505(a) of the Social Security Disability Amendments of 1980 [, formerly set out above] ( note) as of the date of the enactment of this Act [], the authority to conduct such experiment or demonstration project (including the terms and conditions applicable to the experiment or demonstration project) shall be treated as if that authority (and such terms and conditions) had been established under section 234 of the Social Security Act [], as added by subsection (a).”
, , , provided that: