Thousands of The Senior Citizens League's supporters – including the 800 petition signers – have told us they are failing to keep up with rising costs, and they are forced every day to make tough decisions about how they will spend their Social Security checks. To address this growing issue, The Senior Citizens League and its supporters urge Congress to adopt the Social Security Expansion Act (S. 427) before the end of the 115th Congress. .Although some people argue that the Congressional investigation against AARP was politically motivated, there is no escaping the fact that AARP's revenues from royalties – mostly from insurance sales – are more than two and half times higher than its membership dues (as of 2009). .For more information about town hall meetings near you, click HERE. You can also call the local offices of your Members of Congress to request information about upcoming town halls. For contact information, click HERE. .What Did My Member of Congress Mean By That? .The calculation of the COLA is based on the percentage of difference in the average third quarter change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Clerical Workers and Wage Earners (CPI-W) from one year to the next. In late August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina knocked out petroleum production, causing gasoline and other consumer prices to surge in September. The CPI-W shot up an astonishing 1.5 percent between August and September of that year. But since Katrina, the CPI-W has increased .042 percent on average from August to September. "Even if costs were to rise as much as they did after Katrina, the COLA for 2018 would still be about 2 percent," Johnson says. .With more than 17 million Medicare Advantage enrollees, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hasn't been able to ensure that their risk scores are accurate. When CMS has checked, nearly one - third of the scores were too high. "Given the size of Medicare Advantage, even a small error can add up to billions in overpayments," says TSCL Executive Director Shannon Benton. "TSCL believes that home visits should be focused on providing better care to the patient, not boosting health plan profits." .In addition, we strongly recommend that you attend classes or workshops about Social Security. Check with your local senior center, community colleges and universities, libraries or area agencies on aging. If you have some retirement savings in an IRA or 401(k), many of the companies handling your retirement money offer some benefit counseling advice that can help you calculate how much longer you may need to work to reach a more optimal level of retirement savings. .Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment – Ensure a fair, accurate, and guaranteed COLA. .This week, The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for two key bills that would strengthen the Social Security program. First, one new cosponsor – Representative Peter Visclosky (IN-1) – signed on to the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act (H.R. 2302), bringing the total up to eight cosponsors.