In making the 1977 changes, Congress, wanting to avoid an abrupt change, allowed persons born from 1917 through 1921 to use a special transitional benefit formula or the new 1977 formula, whichever would yield the higher of the two benefits. The transition benefit formula never delivered the promised benefit protection, however, because it did not yield a higher benefit amount. Instead, the new benefit formula most often yielded the higher amount. .This week, The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for three important bills that would strengthen the Social Security program if signed into law. .Chen cited two international flights from earlier stages of the pandemic where infection rates varied depending on mask use. On the first flight, no passengers were wearing masks, and a single passenger infected 14 people as the plane traveled from London to Hanoi, Vietnam. On the second flight, from Singapore to Hangzhou in China, all passengers were wearing face masks. Although 15 passengers were Wuhan residents with either suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19, the only man infected en route had loosened his mask mid-flight and had been sitting close to four Wuhan residents who later tested positive for the virus. .After spending four days at a local hospital being treated for a broken elbow and pelvis, 93-year-old Lois Frarie went to a nearby nursing home to build up her strength. Her family was later shocked to learn they would have to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket since two of the days she spent in the hospital were considered "observation care" as an outpatient. Because she wasn't an inpatient for at least three consecutive days, she didn't qualify for Medicare's nursing home coverage. .The second session of the 113th Congress is nearing its end, and The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) is pleased to report that 2014 has been a year to remember. Over the past few months, TSCL has hand-delivered hundreds of thousands of petitions to Members of Congress, urging them to support critical legislation like the CPI-E Act, the Notch Fairness Act, and the Strengthening Social Security Act. In the weeks leading up to the November elections, we sent out thousands of emails to members and supporters in an effort to help them get to know TSCL's long-time friends in Congress. .In addition, when lawmakers return to Capitol Hill on Monday to begin the lame-duck session, TSCL will keep a close eye on the evolving budget negotiations. Lawmakers have until December 9th to negotiate legislation to keep the federal government operating. Should they fail to miss the looming deadline, the federal government will shut down like it did back in 2013, and Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries could see negative impacts. For progress updates from Capitol Hill, visit the Legislative News section of our website, or follow TSCL on Twitter. .Funding concerns are one of the key reasons TSCL is relieved SSA has decided to remove the text requirement from the login process. Without online access, more seniors than ever would have been relying on their local Social Security offices, and under-staffed offices would surely have been overwhelmed with requests. .He is a member of TREThe Enlisted Association (TREA), The American Legion, the National Association of Uniformed Services (NAUS), the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the United States Flag Foundation. He was a member of the committee that chartered TREA Eagle Chapter 94, Warner Robins, Georgia, in 199He also served as their first President from 1999 to 200In 2001, he moved to Las Vegas, and joined Chapter 84, where he served as their President from 2002-200He returned to Warner Robins 2006, and rejoined Chapter 9He served as their President in 2007 and 2008, 2015, and 201He is still active in chapter activities. .TSCL is concerned that illegal immigrants who gain temporary work permits and Social Security numbers would become permanently eligible for Social Security and Medicare among other federal benefits. Here are several areas of concern: