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Category Legislative News Page 46
The "offset" rules for unemployment affected large numbers of seniors during the recent period of high unemployment. In Virginia, for example, the state unemployment insurance reserves dropped so low that a state law was triggered requiring cuts to the unemployment benefit payments of Social Security recipients in January 20By October, 30,000 jobless seniors in Virginia had been affected, and the offset completely wiped out the unemployment benefit of an additional 4,000. . How much would delaying retirement benefits after my full retirement age be worth? I turn 66 in August. .However, a new analysis by the Bipartisan Policy Center was just released that has its own updated forecast that includes the effects of the pandemic. … Continued
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Congressional Corner Need Cpi Reflects Senior Costs
In your book The Hard Times Guide to Retirement Security you say that today's retirees need to "rethink retirement." In what ways do our ideas about retirement need changing? .As a nonpartisan grassroots organization, we make our policy decisions based on only one thing: what is best for senior citizens. .Budget Committee Debates Future of DI Program … Continued
This week, The Senior Citizens League announced its support for the Social Security Administration Fairness Act (S. 3147, H.R. 6251), which was recently introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (VT) and Representative John Larson (CT-1) with the support of six Senate cosponsors and twenty House cosponsors. .So, what should those who have received the Covid-19 vaccines do now? .The following four bills were the focus of Legislative Liaison Kluck's meetings on Capitol Hill in December… .What happens when Congress waits too long to address a Social Security funding crisis? Deeper benefit cuts, sudden tax increases, and glitches in the implementation of reforms that can lead to significant benefit inequities between people close to each other in age. Consider the case of the Social. Benefit Bulletin: June 2013 What Caused The Social Security Notch? . You bring up an important gap in our Social Security protections. In order for children to qualify for a Social Security dependent benefit, that benefit would need to be based on an account of a parent who meets eligibility requirements for Social Security and is deceased, disabled, or retired. The parent would need to meet the eligibility rules in order for your grandson to receive a benefit based on the parent's account. However, if the biological parent has not yet met all eligibility rules then, in order to receive a Social Security benefit, you would need to first adopt the child so that he qualifies for a benefit based on your account. .Is the annual amount of coverage capped? Dental plans often cover only a certain amount of dental services, up to a cap such as 0 to ,500 per year. The cost of preventive services such as cleanings and X-rays is generally not subtracted from the maximum, but it's important that you find out. If you think you will be needing pricey services soon, then look for the plan that offers the highest amount of coverage at the lowest cost. .The fundamental fact is that two-thirds of Americans over the age of 65 depend on an average annual Social Security benefit of ,400 for at least half of their income. Yet little consideration has been given so far to the fact that earned income in excess of 3,700 is entirely exempt for the 6.2 percent payroll tax that funds Social Security benefits. TSCL believes that by raising the maximum wage ceiling Congress could significantly reduce the financial crisis facing the system, without causing financial hardship. .According to TSCL studies, Social Security benefits have lost more than 31% of their buying power since 2000. "Yet the vast majority of seniors can't absorb any loss in buying power," Cates says. According to the Social Security Administration, 53% of senior households depend on Social Security for more than half of their income. The median income of seniors aged 65 and older is just ,757 – only 220% above the federal poverty level for an individual. .For years, workers were told to rely on a combination of Social Security, workplace pensions and their personal retirement savings. However, over the past 30 years or so the landscape of retirement savings has dramatically shifted. Traditional workplace pensions have shifted to 401(k) plans while some have been eliminated altogether, and the recent financial and housing collapse left many households with dramatically less value in homes and retirement funds. Partly as a result of these changes, many baby boomers and other future retirees are facing greater "risks" of not having enough to live on in their retirements. According to the Center for Retirement Research, 51 percent of households are "at risk" of not being able to maintain their pre-retirement standard of living.