U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders: Standing Up For Seniors

5 hrs ago

Excerpts:

This Saturday, April 14, I will be holding three Senior Town Meetings: a breakfast meeting in Montpelier, a lunch meeting in Newport, and an early dinner meeting in St. Albans. I hope you can join me to get an update from Washington, and to discuss issues of importance to older Vermonters.

As I travel around the state, I often meet older Vermonters who are struggling just to get by. To my mind, no senior in the richest country on Earth should ever have to decide between buying groceries, medications, or keeping their house warm. But that is the sad reality today for far too many older Americans. That is why I have introduced legislation to increase Social Security benefits by about $1,300 a year for low-income seniors, increase annual cost of living adjustments, and extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund for the next 60 years. We can do all of this, simply by lifting the cap on taxable income and requiring individuals who make more than $250,000 a year to pay their fair share of Social Security taxes.

We must also make sure Social Security beneficiaries receive their benefits in a timely manner. Over the previous eight years, Congress has cut Social Security’s operations budget by 16 percent. That means it takes longer to get an appointment at the local field office, to get through to the toll-free helpline, or to get a disability claim processed. Here in Vermont, two of our three Social Security offices have seen an almost 30 percent reduction in staffing. This not only causes frustration for Vermonters, but often, it also creates serious financial hardship. I am happy to report that the recent budget passed by Congress includes a $480 million funding boost for Social Security operations – something I fought very hard to make happen. This is a victory for older Vermonters, persons with disabilities and Social Security employees who are often overworked and underpaid.

The budget also increases funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by $2 billion. As the former chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, I am fighting to make certain that veterans in Vermont get the highest quality care at the White River Junction VA Medical Center and the community based outpatient clinics in Burlington, Rutland, Bennington, Brattleboro and Newport.

http://www.caledonianrecord.com/opinion/columns/u-s-sen-bernie-sanders-standing-up-for-seniors/article_20e72a5b-1804-5086-a96c-f716c78444d0.html