H.R. 8822 would amend the Federal Employees' Compensation Act to let the Secretary of Labor obtain earnings and employment information for people in the FECA program. It would require the Social Security Administration to share earnings data and Social Security title II monthly benefit information, and require Health and Human Services to share National Directory of New Hires data, when Labor makes a written request. The bill also says Labor can make these requests without first notifying the employee and must set up data-sharing procedures within 90 days of enactment. Its goal is to improve compliance and detect improper payments in federal workers' compensation.
What This Bill Does
- Lets Labor request earnings information and Social Security title II monthly benefit data from SSA.
- Requires HHS to provide National Directory of New Hires information for specified employees.
- Requests may be made without notice to the employee and without employee authorization.
- Labor must sign memorandums of understanding within 90 days after enactment.
- Applies to payments made under FECA on or after the date of enactment.
Who This Bill Affects
If you are a federal worker or former federal worker receiving FECA compensation, this bill would make it easier for the Department of Labor to check your earnings and employment status against Social Security and new-hire records. That could mean faster detection of overpayments or changes in eligibility, and potentially quicker correction of payment errors. If you are not in the FECA program, the bill would have little direct effect on you.
See how this bill affects you — sign in for a personalized analysisWho Supports & Opposes This
- Taxpayers and budget watchdogs They would likely support the bill because it gives Labor more ways to detect improper payments in the FECA program. Better cross-checks with Social Security and new-hire data could reduce overpayments and protect public funds.
- Federal program administrators Administrators may argue that direct data access improves program integrity and makes it easier to verify whether a recipient is still eligible. The bill also sets a 90-day deadline for memorandums of understanding and procedures, which could make oversight more consistent.
- Employers paying into the federal system indirectly through taxes They may see the measure as a way to ensure compensation benefits are limited to eligible recipients. Reducing improper payments can improve confidence that federal workers’ compensation is being managed accurately.
- Federal workers receiving FECA benefits Recipients may worry that the government can access sensitive earnings and employment records without notice or authorization. They may also fear that data mismatches could interrupt benefits or create disputes over eligibility.
- Privacy advocates They could argue that expanding routine access to Social Security and new-hire data increases the amount of personal information handled across agencies. Even if used for oversight, the lack of notice to the employee raises concerns about transparency and data minimization.
- Workers with intermittent or part-time earnings People with complex work histories or partial return-to-work situations may fear automated comparisons could misclassify their status. They may want stronger safeguards to ensure that legitimate earnings do not trigger wrongful payment suspensions or investigations.
Key Implications
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““shall make available to the Secretary of Labor earnings information””
This authorizes Labor to compare FECA recipients’ reported status against wage records, which can expose unreported work or confirm that someone has no outside earnings. For recipients, that means more federal scrutiny of income activity tied to benefits.
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““may be so requested without authorization from, or notice to, the employee””
Labor would not need to alert the individual before requesting the data. That makes oversight faster, but it also reduces the recipient’s ability to anticipate or explain a records match before the government reviews it.
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““Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment… enter into a memorandum of understanding””
The bill imposes a short implementation timeline for SSA and HHS coordination. In practice, that means the data-sharing system is intended to start quickly rather than phase in slowly over several years.
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““in a timely manner, at no cost to the Secretary””
The bill tries to remove administrative and financial barriers to data sharing. That lowers the friction for enforcement, but also means the agencies must absorb the operational burden within existing systems or budgets.
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““apply with respect to payments made… on or after the date of enactment””
The new data-access rules would reach payments going forward, not just future claims. Anyone already receiving FECA benefits when the law takes effect could be subject to the new verification regime.
Official Source & Bill Facts
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- Bill
- HR 8822
- Congress
- 119th Congress
- Official title
- Federal Workers’ Compensation Integrity and Care Act
- Policy area
- Government & Elections
- Latest action
- Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 32 - 0. (June 25, 2026)
- Last updated
- June 26, 2026
Latest Status
June 25, 2026
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 32 - 0.
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