The problem of how our government calculates price inflation affects more than just Social Security benefits. The consumer price index is also used to adjust many federal programs and other aspects of our laws such as the federal poverty limits and the federal tax code. By growing more slowly, fewer people qualify for safety net programs, or the federal tax code exemptions become less generous over time, and taxpayers pay more in taxes..Social Security can be changed in two ways - but benefit cuts don't have to be inevitable. Increasing payroll taxes is the other avenue..The more you learn about the COLA, however, the more the anemic annual boosts of our past decade raise questions. The very first COLA ever paid was 77%. No, you read that right, this is not a typo. It became payable in 1950, one year before I was born, and a full ten years after Ida May Fuller received the nation's very first Social Security benefit check for .54 - the equivalent of 0.90 today..This week, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill following the month-long August recess and quickly passed legislation to temporarily fund the federal government and lift the debt ceiling. In addition, one House Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the Social Security Disability Insurance program, and one Senate Committee met to debate the future of the Affordable Care Act.."Immigration Bill Splitting House G.O.P.," Jonathan Weisman and Ashley Parker, The Washington Post, April 4, 2014..A new study recently found that Social Security benefits have lost 34 percent of their purchasing power since 2000 due to rising costs and inadequate COLAs. Do you support the bipartisan CPI-E Act, which would make the COLA more fair and adequate?.Lawmakers Work Towards Omnibus.In real terms, if a household heating oil tank holds 400 gallons, a fill up in 2000 cost 0. That was slightly more than half the average monthly Social Security benefit of 6 in 2000. The householder still had 6 left to buy groceries and pay for prescriptions. In 2013, the same fill-up cost ,600 - almost 40 percent more than the average monthly benefit of ,14The householder had to take 3 from savings, a line of credit, or another income source to cover the balance of the fill-up..The hold-harmless provision was again triggered on a nation-wide basis in 2016, when the COLA was zero, and again in 2017, when it was just 0.03 percent. In the meantime the Part B premium rose to 4.00 per month. In 2018, the COLA finally boosted benefits by 2 percent, but even so, roughly half of all beneficiaries reported that the increase in Part B premiums offset their entire COLA this year.

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In December of 2020, about 1.9 million people, or about 3% of all Social Security beneficiaries, were affected by WEP. This provision applies to workers who are entitled to both Social Security benefits as well as to pension benefits from employment not covered by Social Security. School teachers and firemen are two good examples. Before 1983, those whose primary employment wasn't covered by Social Security could still receive the full amount of any Social Security benefits they may have earned, assuming they had worked long enough to qualify. Today though, people affected by the WEP must have their benefits calculated using a different benefit formula. The WEP can reduce Social Security benefits by up to half the amount of the individual's pension from non-covered work..TSCL is continuing to meet with lawmakers and deliver your petitions calling for a fair COLA. To send an email to your member of Congress now!.IPAB Repeal Bill Approved by House … Continued

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As the Affordable Care Act continues its scheduled implementation, many seniors will begin to see small changes in Medicare coverage and tax rates. A few modifications have already taken effect this year, including new federal subsidies that will lower the cost seniors pay for prescriptions filled in the "donut hole." There's also an increased threshold for itemized deductions of medical expenses, and Medicare tax increases for some with investment income..TSCL continues working for enactment of The Notch Fairness Act, which has recently been reintroduced in both the House and Senate. Like an "old age boost" the legislation would provide Notch Babies born from 1917 through 1926 with a choice of ,000 payable in four annual installments of ,250 or an improved monthly benefit. To learn more about The Notch Fairness Act, click here..With people living longer, retiring too early means potentially leaving tens of thousands in retirement income behind. Who can afford to do that? If you haven't started benefits yet, beware of the anchor effect, and remember that age 70 is the age to get your maximum retirement benefit. Individual circumstances vary though. It's a good idea to get professional help if you can, to take your time to learn about your benefits, and to decide the best age for you to start benefits. This is an important decision. It pays to take your time. To learn more about the "anchor effect," read "What Was I Thinking?" … Continued

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