News

  • Best Ways To Save Aprilmay 2013 2

    By Mike Watson, TSCL Legislative Assistant, .TSCL agrees with members of the subcommittee and we share their concerns about fraud within the DI program. We feel strongly that the federal government must administer the necessary oversight to ensure that scarce program dollars are being spent properly. In the months ahead, we will continue to advocate on Capitol Hill for fraud prevention and for the administrative funding needed to make meaningful progress. .Moving between retirement communities and facilities can be burdensome and costly. Here are four things to avoid when looking into retirement living: … Continued

  • Legislative Update For Week Ending October 23 2015

    My daughter's father-in-law lives with them and he looks really sick. I urged my daughter to take him to the doctor. My daughter tells me that she learned that he doesn't have Medicare Part B. He's 81 years old! After spending hours on the phone, she learned that he will have to pay an extra 0 per month for his Medicare Part B coverage, in addition to the 8.50 for 202Can this be correct? What can she do? .I don't have dental insurance and pay out of pocket. I know I will need to get some expensive work done at some point in the next year or two. Is dental insurance worth the cost? How do you go about getting a good dental plan? .Medicare Reform – Protect beneficiaries from changes that would impose greater out-of-pocket costs on beneficiaries. … Continued

Nearly 1.5 million teachers and other public servants see their earned Social Security benefits reduced by as much as 40 percent due to the Windfall Elimination Provision. What do you feel should be done about this? .As you may have heard, Social Security recipients received a cost-of-living increase this year. This is good news for seniors, but it's not good enough. .Cut back spending. Given that housing represents more than one-third of their expenses, older Americans might look for ways to free up the equity in their homes by downsizing or taking out a reverse mortgage, or find ways to cut their costs by exploring options such as home-sharing. .The Senior Citizens League urges lawmakers to act responsibly to keep the federal government fully funded so that essential programs like Social Security and Medicare can operate as smoothly as possible. In the days ahead, we will keep a close eye on the evolving negotiations, and we will continue to advocate for legislative solutions that would strengthen and protect your Social Security and Medicare benefits. For updates, follow us on Twitter or visit the Legislative News section of our website every Friday morning. .Taxpayers may receive part of their credit in 2021 before filing their 2021 tax return. .Sources: "Income of the Population 55 or Older," 2008, Social Security Administration. "Health Care On A Budget," Kaiser Family Foundation, June 2011. .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? .TSCL has been working to get legislation enacted that would require a minimum COLA of no less than 3%, even in years when inflation falls below that amount. There's a lot of money at stake for retirees. An analysis prepared by Advisor editor Mary Johnson estimates that Social Security benefits for anyone retired since 2009 would be 18% higher today had Social Security recipients been protected by such a 3% minimum. An average benefit of ,075 in 2009 has increased to ,229.60 in 201But had beneficiaries received a minimum COLA of no less than 3%, that benefit would be ,453.10 per month today — more than 3.50 per month higher! .Terry Newell currently teaches leadership, decision - making, and ethics courses for a variety of organizations. He is the former dean of the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, and was the director of the Horace Mann Learning Center, the training arm of the U.S. Department of Education.