New Legislation to Stop Looming Cuts to Medicare Urgently Needed .My mother has suffered a stroke and needs to move to an assisted living facilty. She is having problems qualifying for Medicaid. Her only asset is her small apartment that we are trying to sell, but it could take months in this market. Most of the nursing facilities require ,000 and more per month. Is there anything I can do to help her qualify sooner? .This week, one new cosponsor – Rep. Dennis Ross (FL-15) – signed on to the No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act (H.R. 2745), bringing the total up to thirty-two. If signed into law, the bill would prevent Social Security credits from being earned by work done illegally. Currently, those who receive work authorization may file a claim for Social Security benefits based on all earnings – even earnings from jobs where they used stolen, invalid, or fraudulent Social Security numbers. To protect the integrity of the Social Security program, TSCL believes this practice must be put to an end. .For example, one Maine resident worked in the private sector, paying into Social Security for fifteen years before she returned to the teaching profession. Her earned Social Security benefits would have totaled 0 a month. However, due to the WEP, she receives only 0 each month from the program. She is also unable to collect Social Security spousal benefits due to the GPO, even though her spouse paid into the system throughout his entire career. In retirement, she must rely almost entirely upon her teaching pension, which is modest since she spent only a decade in the profession. She told the National Education Association, "If I had known the severe financial penalty I was to pay for returning to teaching, I don't think I would have done it." .The CBO said earlier this year that if the Congress did not take action to address the shortfalls, the balances in the two trust funds would be exhausted within the next 10 years: Medicare's Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund (in fiscal year 2024), and Social Security's Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund (in fiscal year 2026) .The Senior Citizens League's surveys in 2020 asked about support for currently debated proposals to change Social Security and Medicare benefits. The five top areas of consensus include the following: .(Washington, DC) – After no annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) this year, older Americans are likely to get a boost for 201But the increase will be so small that it will be the lowest ever paid, according to a new forecast by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). .TSCL is very supportive of the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act, since it would make COLAs more accurate and extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Funds responsibly, without enacting benefit cuts. Currently, Rep. Deutch's bill has five cosponsors – Reps. David Cicilline (RI-1), Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), James Langevin (RI-2), Chellie Pingree (ME-1), and Jan Schakowsky (IL-9). We look forward to working with Rep. Deutch and Sen. Begich in the coming months to help build support and to pass the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act into law. .In response to the proposed changes, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA-12) said, "With their latest budget proposal, House Republicans have made their values very clear: strengthen the special interests, abandon seniors and hard-working families." TSCL agrees that adopting a premium-support model for the Medicare program would be a step in the wrong direction, and we oppose the Budget Committee's efforts to include it in next year's resolution. In the weeks and months ahead, we will continue to advocate against plans to privatize the Medicare program.