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  • Seniors Shouldnt Have To Wait Endlessly On Medical Equipment

    In 2019 you are allowed to earn ,640, or ,470 per month. If, for example, you were to earn ,000 this year then you would have ,180 withheld from your Social Security benefits. Your earnings would be ,360 in excess of ,640. Half of that is ,180. The Social Security Administration collects this by withholding your monthly Social Security payments until it collects the ,180. Let's say you get a retirement benefit of ,000, that could mean Social Security would withhold your entire Social Security benefit for the next seven months. Once the ,180 is collected the difference will be sent later. .A second of the measures the President signed on Saturday aims to provide 0 in weekly unemployment aid for millions of Americans. Trump said 25 percent of this money would be paid by states, many of which are already dealing with major budget shortfalls. The federal contribution would be redirected from disaster relief money at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Those funds are not likely to last more than two months, and the President did not say when the benefits would kick in. .Source: Fiscal Year 2010 Inspector General Statement, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, November 2010. … Continued

  • Ask Advisor May June 2018

    Three Key Senate Bills Gain Support .The Preserve Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act (S. 64), also introduced by Senators Grassley and Klobuchar, would prohibit anti-competitive pay-for-delay deals that keep much cheaper generic and biosimilar medicines off the market. .Even if your income will be slightly higher in 2018 you should apply, because the income and resource limits are adjusted annually and will likely be somewhat higher next year. "Resources " refer to money in checking and savings accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Don't rule out applying just because you own your own home. Your home, car, household items, burial plot up to ,500 for burial expenses per person, and life insurance policies ARE NOT counted as resources. … Continued

At the time of writing this week's update, the House had not yet voted on the measure, but its passage is expected in that chamber by Friday. The committees of jurisdiction will then begin working on legislation to repeal the health care law. Through the budget reconciliation process, the Affordable Care Act is expected to be repealed by as early as February, and lawmakers hope to have a replacement plan signed into law soon after. .You can learn more about Social Security disability benefits at https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/disability/. Find information about when to start retirement benefits here: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/learn.html h3. .Alexandria, VMore than 62.5 million seniors, as well as recipients of other federal benefits, may be at high risk of not receiving any cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) next year, according to a new forecast from The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), a nonpartisan seniors organization. Based on the government's most recent inflation data over the past 12 months, growth in the consumer price index is so low that, should the trend continue through the third quarter of the year, inflation would be about 2% lower than the same period last year. "That would mean no COLA would be payable in 2015," says TSCL Chairman, Ed Cates. "Although a lot can happen between now and then," Cates notes, "TSCL anticipates that the buying power of benefits will be impacted." .The Senior Citizens League strongly supports legislation in both the House and the Senate that would address this issue. H.R.576 Seniors Have Eyes, Ears, and Teeth Act introduced by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA) in the House would expand Medicare to provide routine dental care. In the Senate, S.22 Medicare Dental Benefit Act, introduced by Senator Ben Cardin (MD) would also provide coverage for dental care. .House members are increasingly feeling the effects of a five percent budget cut passed last year. Already tight budgets have forced drastic reductions in the number of salaried positions and could reduce the amount of services provided. .Medicare Advantage plans are booming in popularity with retirees, as a low-cost health coverage alternative. In 2016, the plans cover more than 18 million people, but troubling audits indicate that many plans are overbilling the government for many, if not the majority, of the patients treated. Because overcharges drive up Medicare program spending, the higher costs are shifted to all people enrolled in Medicare through rising Part B premiums— even to people who never enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. .Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (AL) told reporters this week that a government shutdown later this month is a real possibility. He said: "This could make us all come together or it could drive us further apart. We don't know yet … I've been here on Christmas Eve." .This week, The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support grow for two key bills that would strengthen the Social Security program. .We will be putting out more information about this in the next few days and we are working on what we believe is a realistic solution to the COLA problem. Please be looking for that information.