Eliminate the mandatory reconsideration review process for Social Security disability claims and allow claimants to proceed directly to a hearing after an initial decision.

Valerie P. Foushee · North Carolina · Democratic

policy impact 0.62 specificity 0.93 extraction confidence 97%

Commitment kind: unknown. Promised action: not established. Promised outcome: not established. Deadline: unknown; not assumed expired.

Contest this claim

Occurrences

introduced the Respecting Every Claimant’s appeal Options Now (RECON) Act to eliminate the mandatory reconsideration review process for Social Security disability claims, cutting bureaucratic red tape and allowing claimants the option to proceed directly to a hearing after an initial decision

Foushee proposed streamlining Social Security disability appeals by skipping mandatory reconsideration.

Press Releases | News | U.S. Congresswoman Valerie Foushee
primary · press_release · model gpt-5.4-mini

Evidence

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

GovInfo bill text shows Rep. Foushee introduced H.R. 8478, the RECON Act, to make Social Security reconsideration review optional; it was referred to House Ways and Means.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Foushee took concrete legislative action in 2026 by introducing a bill matching the commitment, but the official record shown is only the introduced House bill and committee referral, not enactment or implementation.

partial later_term A for effort

H.R. 8478 (IH) - Respecting Every Claimant's appeal Options Now Act
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 95%

Contest this evidence item

legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown

SSA's 2026 appeals page still lists reconsideration as the first appeal step and says a hearing may be requested after a reconsideration determination.

Unverified model/legacy excerpt; not proof. AI summary (separate from source): Current SSA public guidance indicates the mandatory reconsideration sequence remains in place, so the commitment has not been delivered as of the refresh window; no official lookback-window enactment or agency implementation evidence was found.

unresolved later_term

Appeals Process | Understanding SSI | SSA
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 93%

Contest this evidence item

Assessments

Public state: unverified As of unknown · legacy_unverified · . Original AI recommendation (not independently established): never. later_term A for effort

Foushee introduced H.R. 8478, the RECON Act, in April 2026 to make Social Security disability reconsideration optional, which is a serious legislative attempt closely matching the promise. However, the bill appears only introduced and referred to House Ways and Means, and SSA guidance still lists reconsideration as the first appeal step before an administrative law judge hearing. The promised policy change has not been enacted or implemented.

provider codex_cli · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 94%