News

  • Benefit Bulletin June 2015

    The potential cost in benefits based on illegal work is substantial. Failure to address this inconsistency of law could result in newly legalized immigrants receiving benefits for earnings received while breaking U.S. laws, at the same time U.S. workers and senior citizens who paid into the system legally over their entire careers receive benefit cuts and higher taxes. .The costs of custodial care pose a big challenge for Alzheimer's patients and their families. According to a survey of long term care costs by Genworth Financial, Inc., a semi-private room in a nursing home can cost ,148 a month, or ,750 per month in an assisted living facility. Even a home health care aide costs per hour. Many families work to put together a caregiving network with family, friends, churches and community services in the early stages of Alzheimer's treatment. .Town Hall Question: Research indicates that seniors have already lost more than 30 percent of their purchasing power since 2000. What is your position on the adoption of the "chained" CPI for the calculation of Social Security COLAs? … Continued

  • Thieves Stealing Social Security Disability Benefits While Insolvency Looms

    Wall Street economists are in the midst of a growing debate over whether we are in for "the return of inflation." (Oh, go ahead and snort. I did too when I first read about this.) .We will keep a close eye on the evolving discussions in the months ahead, and we will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website. .Medicare Pays More for Drugs than Medicaid … Continued

As outrageous as it is, there are reports of scams involving phony appointments for the COVID vaccine. People have received emails, phone calls or text messages supposedly from local health departments offering to put them on a vaccine registration list that doesn't really exist and then charging them for appointments. .That is why TSCL is fighting so hard for legislation to reduce drug prices and for increased COLAs that reflect the true cost of living for our nation's seniors. .TSCL Calls On Congress To Close The Loop Hole .But if your mom has lived with you some months already, you will need to determine if her former Medicare Advantage plan has already learned from CMS or the Postal Service of the move. If she moved over six months ago, then the plan should disenroll your mom 12 months after the move, but her Special Enrollment Period begins at the beginning of the sixth month and continues through the end of the eighth month after your move. .The Medicare Hotline number is The number to report Medicare fraud is You may also wish to look at their web site. www.hcfa.gov .This week, TSCL was pleased to see four key bills gain new cosponsors in the House and Senate. .One new cosponsor also signed on to the Strengthening Social Security Act (H.R. 3118), bringing the total up fifty-six. The new cosponsor is Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-1). If signed into law, the bill would reform the Social Security program in three ways: it would adjust the benefit formula, resulting in more generous monthly benefits; it would adopt the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E), resulting in more accurate cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), and it would lift the cap on income subject to the payroll tax. The bill would extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund responsibly, without cutting benefits for seniors. .Here are some examples of scams being tried. .Based on your age, you potentially may be able to use a claiming strategy at your full retirement age (66) that could provide you with a divorced spousal benefit, while you wait for your own benefit to grow. Once you have reached full retirement age you can choose to receive only the divorced spouse's benefit and delay receiving retirement benefits based on your own work record until a later date or when you turn age 70.