U.S. Senate passes Sen. Daines’ ALS bill

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 12/3/20

According to ALS News Today, about 14,000 people in the U.S. are suffering from ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, slowly crippling the patient. There is currently no known cause or cure and Social Security Disability Insurance requires a five-month waiting period for treatment. The U.S. Senate this week passed a bipartisan bill presented by Montana Sen. Steve Daines that “will allow Montanans with ALS to receive both Medicare and Social Security Disability Insurance benefits in the first month the patient is under disability,” according to a Dec. 2 press release.

“ALS is a devastating disease, and Montanans who have been diagnosed with it should not have to wait five months to receive disability benefits,” Daines stated in the release. “My bipartisan bill eliminates this waiting period, providing quicker access to benefits for those who suffer from this aggressive disease. I’m glad to see my bill pass the U.S. Senate, and I will continue fighting until it’s passed out of the House and signed into law to help support Montanans battling ALS.”