News

  • Tscl Files Third Foia Lawsuit Feed

    As you have learned, there's a long lag time between the year you earned the money and when you get the notice from Social Security. Social Security makes the adjustments based on your W2s and tax returns. Making matters worse, the earnings limit is adjusted annually and was even lower in prior years. In 2018 the limit was ,040 and in 2017, ,920. In addition, the notice you received would likely only pertain to one year of earnings, and you possibly could receive a similar notice next year and go through the process of withheld benefits all over again. .The President's final memo waives all interest on student loans held by the federal government through the end of 2020 and allows people to delay payments until Dec. 3This will help those who are repaying student loans. .On Thursday, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that beneficiaries will receive a 2.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 201It will be the largest Social Security COLA since 2012, but around 5 million seniors with the lowest Social Security benefits are expected see no net increase in their monthly checks after Medicare Part B premiums are deducted. Those with benefits of around 5 per month or less are expected to see no net increase. … Continued

  • Time Close Social Security Tax Loophole

    What tips do you have for job hunting seniors? .By the time the Inspector General has performed its audit reports and given CMS its recommendations, CMS has limited, if any, time to collect before the statute of limitation expires. The OIG recommends that CMS should pursue legislation to extend the statute of limitations so that the recovery period exceeds the reopening period for Medicare payments. In addition, the OIG recommends that CMS develop a system to verify that the amount reported collected has actually been collected. TSCL heartily supports these commonsense recommendations. With Congress debating a major Medicare overhaul that would make seniors pay a higher portion of Medicare costs in the future, Congress should move quickly to close the statute of limitation loophole that's costing us millions in lost recoveries. .Only two weeks remain before the March 31st deadline, and at this point, it appears as though a temporary "doc fix" will be necessary. Sen. Hatch mentioned on Tuesday that lawmakers are currently considering a nine-month pay patch, which would mean that lawmakers wouldn't have to revisit the issue until after the November elections. Should lawmakers fail to reach an agreement on either a temporary or a permanent solution, doctors who treat Medicare patients will see a 24 percent pay cut, which would negatively impact seniors' access to quality medical care. … Continued

TSCL's Board of Trustees on Capitol Hill .GOP offers Super-Committee concession while seniors see increased poverty levels. .For information about town hall meetings near you in the days ahead, call the local offices of your elected officials. For contact information, click HERE. .The Senior Citizens League strongly believes allowing the HHS Secretary to negotiate with the drug companies is one important way to reduce the costs of drugs for seniors. We will be continuing our efforts to get Congress to pass legislation that would make this possible. .Since he was first elected to Congress in 2010, Congressman Mulvaney – a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus – has been vocal about his support for reforming the Social Security and Medicare programs. In a 2011 interview, he told reporters: "We have to end Medicare as we know it. We have to fix it." He has endorsed several proposals that would privatize the Medicare program by adopting a "premium support" model, and on Tuesday, he endorsed plans to increase means-testing within the program. Both of those proposals are opposed by TSCL since they would result in higher out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries. .Medicare open enrollment: It pays to get it right .To view our full legislative agenda, click HERE, and to learn more about these issues listed above, click HERE. .Second, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-8) also signed on to the CPI for Seniors Act (H.R. 2016), bringing the total up to six cosponsors. If adopted, this bill would require the Bureau of Labor Statistics to create and publish a new inflation index specifically for seniors so that lawmakers can better understand the price increases older Americans are experiencing. .By Rick Delaney, Chairman of the Board, TSCL