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Suppose, for example, that an illegal immigrant works for 13 years under an invalid Social Security number, but then gains legal status and works another 22 years under a valid Social Security number. The earnings under the invalid SSN are reinstated under the new work-authorized Social Security number because the individual kept W2s. Thirteen years of earnings would be more than enough to become qualified for Social Security. In this case, 13 years of illegal work would form one-third of the earnings that are used to determine the individual's basic Social Security benefit. This scenario isn't as unlikely as you might think. A major national pro-immigration reform advocacy organization counsels "undocumented" workers to save their pay stubs and W2s "in case their legal status changes.".TSCL is disappointed that Congress has not yet taken action to avert an irresponsible default on the federal debt, and we urge our members and supporters to contact your representatives in Congress to request a clean and immediate increase in the debt ceiling. For updates on the status of this important issue, visit TSCL's website at, or find us on Facebook and Twitter..According to the study, the 250 top selling drugs, each with one manufacturer and no competitive products on the market, account for 60% of net total Medicare Part D spending. The top 50 selling drugs, also with one manufacturer each and no competitors, account for 80% of total Medicare Part B spending..This week, Members of Congress continued working on a stopgap funding bill to keep the federal government operating past October 1st. In addition, The Senior Citizens League announced its support for one new piece of legislation, and two key bills gained support..drives up hospital and other costs for Medicare beneficiaries,.In the weeks ahead, TSCL will continue to monitor the health reform discussions in the Senate and we will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website. In the meantime, we encourage our members and supporters to contact those in the Senate who voted against the "skinny repeal" bill to express their gratitude. Senators Collins, Murkowski, and McCain took a stand against legislation that would have jeopardized the health and financial security of millions of older Americans, and TSCL appreciates their leadership on this important issue. For contact information, click HERE..More Means Testing For Medicare: Higher income seniors with incomes of more than ,000 already pay more for their Medicare Part B and Part D premiums. More seniors will pay the higher costs in the future because the income threshold is not adjusted for inflation. President Obama has proposed raising the amounts that higher-income seniors would pay, and proposes new income thresholds that would push seniors into higher premium brackets more quickly..In a letter that was sent to the twenty-nine conferees on Monday, members of the House Appropriations Committee wrote: "We call on the Budget conference to reach an agreement on the FY2014 and FY2015 spending caps as soon as possible to allow the appropriations process to move forward … If a timely agreement is not reached, the likely alternatives could have extremely damaging repercussions." According to the appropriators, the alternatives include: a government shutdown on January 15th, continued governance by continuing resolution, and a second round of across-the-board spending cuts via the "sequester," which is scheduled to hit in January..Now let's say her husband, a construction worker, makes about ,000 a year. He purchased fake papers on the black market and gave his employers what looked like a Social Security number. Under current law employers are not required to verify the Social Security numbers of employees. Employers are, however, required to withhold taxes and report wages to the Social Security Administration, which they do.