The Senate Aging Committee Discusses Social Security Benefits
While no new bills have been presented to either houses of Congress, the U.S. Senate held a Special Committee meeting last month to discuss better ways of implementing the Social Security benefits program for those who need it the most, the fastest.
At issue was the current state of the economy and how the recession has forced more Americans to file for Social Security disability or Retirement benefits in order to pay the bills.
The Senate Aging Committee discussed the country’s increasing dependence on Social Security in addition to the federal program’s long-term sustainability and it’s efficiency.
The Senate Aging Committee Chairman, Senator Herb Kohl, D-Wisc. was quoted as saying”The impact of the financial downturn provides a stark contrast to the dependability of Social Security, and it is also the reason that the program’s guaranteed, inflation-protected benefits are more vital to Americans now than ever.”
Those present at the hearing debated ways to improve the system in order to bring it more in line with the needs of today’s families. “… as crucial as the program is today, the fact is that it was designed in another era. We need to make sure that the most vulnerable in our society are not left behind as we examine ways to strengthen the program”, Kohl continued.
Present at the meeting included Leon Burzynski (the president of the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans), former Social Security Administration commissioner, Kenneth Apfel, and Joan Entmacher, of the National Women’s Law Center.
“We need to ask a series of questions — whether Social Security continues to be a benefit people can count on; whether the elderly, disabled and survivors of workers are protected from financial hardship; whether the program is efficient, universal and fair; and whether the program is maintained as a basic public trust,” Apfel stated. The former commissioner was able to give a detailed overview of the need to efficiently deliver benefits to survivors, disable workers and retirees who rely on Social Security benefits to make ends meet.
