The chances for legislation remain strong as more experts say older seniors need a benefit boost to protect them from outliving their retirement resources. Your continued support, letters, and phone calls to Members of Congress make all the difference in building co-sponsorship. TSCL has been instrumental in building support for the Notch Fairness legislation and remains committed to passage. .The inspector general has recommended that the IRS should require ITIN filers claiming the Additional Child Tax Credits to provide documentation that their dependents meet the qualifications for the credit, including residency. The IRS disputes this, saying that it doesn't have the legal authority to verify and disallow the child tax credits. .First, one new cosponsor – Representative Conor Lamb (PA-18) – signed on to the Social Security 2100 Act (H.R. 1902), bringing the total up to 17If adopted, H.R. 1902 would strengthen Social Security benefits by improving the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), increasing monthly benefits by 2 percent, creating a new Special Minimum Benefit equal to 125 percent of the poverty line, and providing a tax cut to millions of Social Security beneficiaries. To cover the cost of these changes and to extend the solvency of the program through the year 2100, it would apply the payroll tax to annual income over 0,000 and gradually increase the payroll tax rate by 0.25 percent. .Terry Newell currently teaches leadership, decision - making, and ethics courses for a variety of organizations. He is the former dean of the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, and was the director of the Horace Mann Learning Center, the training arm of the U.S. Department of Education. .As a result of the agreement, Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) switches places with Senator Mitch McConnell (R- Ky.). Schumer now becomes the Senate Majority Leader and McConnell becomes the Senate Minority Leader. .You can apply for widow benefits as early as age 60, but if you start prior to your full retirement age, your benefits will be reduced. In addition, your benefits would be further reduced if you earn more than the annual earnings limit, which is ,640 in 2012 (,220 per month). More on this in a moment. .This week, the Senate Finance Committee met with a representative from the Obama administration to discuss alternatives to the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula. In addition, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) saw five key bills gain new cosponsors. .The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574) also gained a cosponsor – Rep. Pete Gallego (TX-23) – this week, bringing the total up to thirty-five. If signed into law, H.R. 574 would repeal and replace the SGR, bringing increased stability to the Medicare program for both physicians and beneficiaries. .The most important thing people nearing retirement should consider doing is to delay starting benefits until age 70, the report says. After reaching full retirement age, benefits will grow 8 percent per year after for each year delayed, until age 70. "The higher your benefit and COLA, the easier it will be to cover Medicare Part B and other healthcare costs in retirement," Johnson says.