Latest News
Balanced Budget Amendment Need Not Mean Cuts to Social Security
Congressman Morgan Griffith (R, VA-9) addresses the issue circulating in the media, that to support a balanced Budget amendment to the Constitution, means cutting Social Security and Medicare. He calls that “crazy talk”, as there is nothing in the text…
Paid Leave & Social Security: A Brief Look
A paid leave program as part of Social Security is sure to irk conservatives as too expensive and liberals as a necessary benefit, mainly for women. Carrie Lukas notes the “hit” to the Social Security Trust fund’s solvency could actually just…
Social Security & Medicare: Fix Sooner Rather Than Later
That Social Security and Medicare’s Hospital Trust Fund both become insolvent in 2034 and 2026 respectively has made much news since release of the Trustees Report in June. But Daniel White notes “this is the first time in 36 years…
We’ve Been Here Before. Remembering the 1983 Social Security Reforms
Sean Williams reminds us in this piece not just about what the Social Security Amendments of 1983 did, but what it took to get that reform legislation passed. Shortfalls began occurring in the 1970s. Alarm bells sounded. But, it took almost a…
Is Social Security Like Welfare? In a way, yes.
Social Security recipients often say, “I’m just getting back what I paid in.” But is that true? Patrick Watson explains most beneficiaries get back far more than they ever contributed in their working years (assuming they live to collect for seven…
Federal Spending on Children vs. The Elderly
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CFRB) is beginning to sound the alarm on projections that future spending for children will shrink significantly. CFRB estimates spending on children will fall to 1.9 percent of GDP by 2048. “Spending on children will…
SSA is in Year One of Five of IT Modernization Plan
The Social Security Administration is modernizing its IT infrastructure, data, and application interfaces used by agency employees, their partners, and the public. In this article, Chief Information Officer Rajive Mather and John Foertschbeck, senior adviser in the Office of Systems Operations and Hardware…
First Look at 2019 COLA projection
This article explains how the Social Security Administration calculates the yearly cost of living adjustment (COLA), which 62 million beneficiaries are slated to receive on January 1, 2019. While the announcement will not be official until early October, a number of researchers…
Americans’ Misconceptions About Social Security are Many
Over half of Americans have profound doubts and lack confidence in Social Security’s future, though the program has broad support and will be able to pay out promised benefits through 2034. Astonishingly 75 percent of Americans do not believe Social Security will be there…
Social Security’s Online Services
Social Security Administration district manager Brian L. Hewitt, in a post on www.tribstar.com, provides an outline of Social Security’s “Top 10” easy-to-use online resources. From getting the program’s latest news to managing many aspects of your account, these tools can help you…