Seniors and disabled Americans received a rudely surprising notification from Social Security at the end of last year - saying they would NOT be getting a cost of living increase in their monthly benefit checks. And most are having a hard time believing the government’s excuse for it.
SS says the purpose of Cost of Living Adjustments or COLA, which SS will NOT be making this year for only the third time in history, is “to ensure that the purchasing power of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits is not eroded by inflation." Really?
Clearly SS is out of touch with just what amounts to “eroding purchasing power” for the majority of seniors and disabled Americans, because it’s not basing its decision on costs that actually affect most of those in this group. It’s basing it on “the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W)." As some critics point out, the 2015 CPI was based mostly on the drop in gas prices, a cost cut that doesn't really affect seniors and disabled citizens, while the rising costs of medical care, food and housing does.
What SS is doing is cheating this group out of much needed benefits in a way that can and will certainly threaten their health and their lives.
Sign this petition to ask lawmakers to champion urgent legislation to ensure social security beneficiaries receive a 2016 COLA increase to account for the rising price of housing, medications, food and other essentials.
To Members of Congress:
We, the undersigned, accuse Social Security of using contrived and unfair criteria for determining cost of living increases that ignores costs that have a predominant effect on recipients of Social Security Benefits.
As advocates have pointed out (something which should be obvious to all), reduction in gas prices are not all that beneficial to seniors and people on disability, while this group, which includes disabled veterans, is disproportionately burdened due to the rising costs of essentials like housing and particularly medical care and insurance premiums.
In a report by the Associated Press, Senior Citizens League’s Mary Johnson reiterates that "The COLA is determined by the buying power of younger working adults.”
Certainly our lawmakers can see beyond this unfair and disingenuous criteria for determining COLA for recipients of SS benefits. Therefore we ask our representatives to champion urgent legislation that would offer social security beneficiaries a COLA increase to account for the rising price of housing, medications, food and other essentials.
Thanks for your time.
