News

  • Social Security Benefit Cuts Likely

    According to Mr. Brune, SSA is making several organizational and technology-driven improvements that will lead to an increase in fraud detection. The administration is currently expanding its successful Cooperative Disability Investigations (CDI) program, which prevents benefit payments from being made in cases where fraud is detected. The CDI program is operating in thirty-three states this year, and it is expected to expand to the remaining seventeen states by 202Mr. Brune said, "Chairman Johnson and this Subcommittee have long championed this CDI program, and we thank you for that support." .According to the results, TSCL's members and supporters would prefer to see a more permanent solution. Forty-eight percent of respondents said the DI program should tighten its eligibility requirements and conduct more continuing disability reviews to reduce fraud, and 51 percent said high wage earners should be required to pay Social Security taxes on all of their incomes. .TSCL is hopeful that Congress will pass these commonsense solutions as soon as possible to restore the solvency of the Social Security and Medicare programs. For more information on legislation that would strengthen these programs, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. … Continued

  • Medicaid Funding Cuts May Affect Notch Babies

    The group of retirees born from 1917 through 1926 (1), who became eligible for retirement benefits immediately after the 1977 law changes, was affected. Those born during the Notch years generally received substantially lower benefits than those paid to retirees born before and after them. When represented on a chart, the disparity in benefits forms a deep "V" notch, hence the name. .The Senior Citizens League agrees with Chairman Johnson's remarks at Thursday's hearing, and we hope that Congress will address the shortfall as soon as possible so that any negative impacts on current or future retirees can be averted. In the months ahead, we will continue to advocate for solutions that strengthen the Social Security program responsibly – without cutting benefits – and we will post updates on Twitter, and here in the Legislative News section of our website. .To learn how you can get involved visit . … Continued

If your problems persist and you have trouble collecting your back due Social Security payment, contact the constituent services staff member of your Representative in the House or one of your two Senators here. .Here's how the board works: As soon as Medicare spending exceeds certain growth rates, the unelected 15-member board will begin making recommendations to lawmakers to rein in spending. Congress will then have a chance to respond by passing cost-cutting measures of its own. But if they fail to adopt legislation, the IPAB's recommendations will be automatically implemented. .Please visit our Notch Reform Section for the most up-to-date information. ."Congressional Pay Grows 15 Times Faster Than Social Security Checks" .In July of 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed a rule under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act regarding risk adjustment. Under this rule, the Federal Government is requiring health insurers to provide confidential and detailed medical information about a person. Aside from the fact that this is an invasion of privacy, we must also remember the Federal Government's lack of accountability with health records when over 5 million TRICARE records were stolen from the car of a government contractor this past fall. .In its June 2018 Long Term Budget Outlook, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that earnings will grow faster for higher-income people than for others over the next 30 years. The CBO expects that trend to lead to a decrease in the amount of payroll tax receipts that otherwise would flow into Social Security, as a greater share of earnings will be above the maximum amount subject to Social Security payroll taxes. .Unlike the temporary payroll tax cuts, which wouldn't affect Social Security's finances, the diversion of Social Security contributions into private accounts would substantially reduce the amount of money available to pay current beneficiaries. This "privatization" of Social Security contributions would drain the Social Security Trust Fund in short order and require the transfer of TRILLIONS of dollars from the U.S. Treasury into the Social Security Trust Fund in the coming decades to continue paying current benefits. .August Recess Continues for House Lawmakers .With the Senate being so sharply divided, achieving that result is very questionable.