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AARPMiller
AARPMiller
Contributor ⭐
September 27, 2011

Share your concerns about Social Security

  • September 27, 2011
  • 337 replies
  • 187704 views

1)     In the article,  Social Security Fears, many Social Security myths are addressed. What concerns you the most about Social Security? 

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      337 replies

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      W
      wl8409
      Contributor ⭐
      January 16, 2016
      Why is SS benefits taxed if your other pension income exceeds $50,000? The contributions to SS while u worked was taxed already, right? I'm sure matching contributions by your employer were taxed also. But if not, I should not pay more than 50% on my benefits. Sounds like double taxation to me.
      cat0w
      cat0w
      Conversationalist ⭐⭐⭐
      January 19, 2016

      Reply to: wl8409

      A person should know if the amount of social security withheld from their pay had tax payed on it or not.

      Around my third year with the Fire Department I know there was a change in the laws and our SS, Retirement and Insurance was deducted before taxes were figured on the rest of our income.

       

      Posted by,
      cat0w
      Texas (USA)

       

      S
      susanmaureen
      Contributor ⭐
      January 17, 2016

      What is the status of the repeal of the WEP and the GPO?  Both are unfair to public servants who have a pension and thus can not collect the full amount of SS they deserve...Is AARP working to address this issue.  If not, they should.  

      P
      pc7497
      Contributor ⭐
      January 22, 2016
      If I get married would I loose my survival benefits
      drawpoker
      drawpoker
      Contributor ⭐⭐
      February 6, 2016

      Are you under age 60? 

       

      If you are age 60 or older,  you can re-marry,  and not lose your survivor's benefits from your deceased spouse.

      S
      sj4077
      Contributor ⭐
      June 28, 2016
      That is insane. You shouldn't be allowed to collect on an ex's SS at all. That is bleeding money out of SS at a fast pace. If you remarry - no matter what age is even worse. If you have been divorced for 20 years you should not be entitled to an ex's SS.
        D
        donpatters
        Contributor ⭐
        February 14, 2016

        NO COLA FOR THE THIRD TIME DURING THE PRESIDENCY OF THE ONE WHO IS SITTING IN THE OVAL OFFICE NOW - WITH HIS FEET UP ON OUR DESK !!   Vote very carefully in November, Seniors !

        retiredtraveler
        retiredtraveler
        Contributor ⭐⭐⭐
        February 15, 2016
        donpatters wrote:

        NO COLA FOR THE THIRD TIME DURING THE PRESIDENCY OF THE ONE WHO IS SITTING IN THE OVAL OFFICE NOW - WITH HIS FEET UP ON OUR DESK !!   Vote very carefully in November, Seniors !

           The president has nothing to do with the COLA. Please be very carefully informed, seniors.

        "...Why is everyone a victim? Take personal responsibility for your life..."
        C
        CaddyGrn
        Contributor ⭐
        February 15, 2016
        It is the congress who is at fault, they can't get any business done as they are too busy blocking everything. I do not blame it on the President, he only signs the bills, not makes them.
        S
        skywatcher002
        Contributor ⭐
        February 17, 2016
        Can anyone break down and explain the changes for 2016 that Congress passed and will be effective May 1st? It's very confusing. Does anyone understand this help? How does it affect a person at age 65? How does it affect a person at 866? How does it affect people on SSDI? Will our benefits drop?
        drawpoker
        drawpoker
        Contributor ⭐⭐
        February 17, 2016

        Relax.   Despite what you may have heard the Sky Is Not Falling.

         

        Read this and you will no doubt sleep better tonite. 

         

        http://www.snopes.com/social-security-changes-may-2016/

         

        (Hope you were not one of the ones mentioned who shelled out good money for fake and alarmist "newsletters" to protect yourself from the Coming "Financial Ruin"  ) 

          D
          dc51234209
          Contributor ⭐
          February 24, 2016
          I heard disablity will be cut by 19% in October 2016. Is this true? How does a person survive on even less?
          GailL1
          GailL1
          Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
          February 25, 2016
          @dc51234209 wrote:
          I heard disablity will be cut by 19% in October 2016. Is this true? How does a person survive on even less?

          The (2) year budget deal approved by bipartisan action in the senate at the end of 2015 fixed the problems for now but did nothing to fix both programs - OASI and SSDI - for the long term.

          The Hill 10/26/2015 Budget Deal Includes Social Secrity, Medicare Reforms

           

          The amount a beneficiary receives either from OASI or SSDI is based on their own work record,

          figured In a more progressive fashion with lower income people getting more bang for their working years earned income as used in the benefits formula.

           

          IT‘S ALWAYS SOMETHING . . . . .. . . . Roseanne Roseannadanna
            B
            barbara5833
            Contributor ⭐
            February 26, 2016
            Tell the house, et.al. to stop forcing seniors into poverty.
            Some of us, myself included, must work for insurance...to pay rent, to eat...yet, my Social Security sets limits that makes me pay back monies I already earned!
            My minimum wage job provides insurance til next year and I am ALLOWED Medicare - which will be deducted from my Social Security on top of the $128 they are deducting for THREE YEARS due to my making over $15,000 in 2014 - I may not afford my rent and may become homeless unless
            I continue working for Walmart past 65 whether physically able or not....why doesn't someone care about us?
            The HOME OFFICE Positively Organized
            P
            pw34683518
            Contributor ⭐
            May 24, 2016

            Once again the Republicon are  tryin to destory AFFORDABLE CARE ACT.  The bigest problem is that the   the Republicons really don't care if we live or die.  My sister has a racist white person working for her part-time. Now this lady likes  to talk about what Obamas not doing for her so she and her husbankd were  to proud to except any goverment help. Things got so bad for her and  husband  so she sign up for the Affordable Care and Food Stamps now they can eat and afford to go to the hospital It will be sad when so many Cancer patient loss their coverage. People haven't seen bad times YET!!  Let that racist Donald Trump get in the white house and this country will be FUK-up.

             

              T
              tb6982285
              Contributor ⭐
              April 6, 2016

              I need some assistance my fellow AARP's! I have been on SS since 62. I just turned 65 and I understand I can apply for a return of some of my reduced benefits since I applied at 62. What is the procedure for claiming a return of the reduced benefits? Thanks for your assistance!

              GailL1
              GailL1
              Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
              April 6, 2016
              @tb6982285 wrote:

              I need some assistance my fellow AARP's! I have been on SS since 62. I just turned 65 and I understand I can apply for a return of some of my reduced benefits since I applied at 62. What is the procedure for claiming a return of the reduced benefits? Thanks for your assistance!

               If you applied for YOUR OWN benefits at 62 and have been receiving YOUR OWN (early reduced) benefits since then - there is no way to get a redo because that reduction will always be with you.

               

              There use to be a way that you could pay back ALL the money and get a redo but that ended in (I think) 2012 and now you only have 12 month to perform this pay back and claim again.

              IT‘S ALWAYS SOMETHING . . . . .. . . . Roseanne Roseannadanna
              D
              DanWass2016
              Contributor ⭐
              July 13, 2016

              7/13/16....I'm absolutely appalled and angry @ our"supposed Legislators," and their cohorts, for allowing the American people (promised Soc.Sec. benefits by law) to be conned into thinking that there has been little or no COLA (related to the yearly CPI) increases on a regular basis. We have already passed years when we were given 0% increases, and many years of between 1% and 3% increases. This is an outrage. Everyone knows how costs increase yearly: Is there anyone out here with frozen rents and home insurance/ bills; frozen transportation costs; supermarket price freezes; and the list can go on and on and on!  So, for our government to claim that yearly Consumer Price Indexes (CPIs) are little or nothing, is a lesson in us being fooled into believing that we should be satisfied with the peanuts we do receive. It's all one big lie. I hope that AARP, as one of our few lobby groups, can effect some change in the future for seniors and retirees, such that we receive our promised benefits and possibly, some retroactive payments for years in which we were suckered out of money. I for one want to find other organizations with AARP who would fight for our rights, as we cannot gain any justice without large numbers of people who will be involved as a "strength in numbers" example.

              Please spread the word to others, who may be able and willing to mobilize us, in this most important and pressing issue (among many!).

                GailL1
                GailL1
                Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
                July 18, 2016

                @DanWass2016

                 

                The Board of Labor Statistics figures the CPI each year; in fact, they do several different varieties.  The COLA for SS benefits are based on the CPI-U and includes most everything that a consumer has to have - including rent, or rent equivalence, food, transportation cost, medical cost, etc.  

                 

                in 2016, they began to give spending on medications a slightly larger weight.

                All of these measures come from data they have collected on specific time frames during the year by surveys, and questionnaires from a targeted group.

                 

                if one of the items being analyzed goes up and anther goes down, they don't completely wipe each other but they do affect the bottom line.

                 

                We do have LOW inflation and have had for the 8 years.   The biggest culprit in 2016 was energy since the price of gas began to fall rather abruptly and energy prices have a high weight in the CPI computation.

                 

                IF in 2016, we had gotten a COLA, it would have been VERY meager and we would have also had an increase in our Part B Medicare premiums because of the "hold harmless" part of the law.  Those who were new to Medicare in 2016, have to pay more for their Part B premiums because these folks are not covered by the "hold harmless clause" - it only covers those who are already in the program from year to year.  For the rest of us ( those who were already on Medicare ), we are just floating our amount due.

                 

                It is not looking too good for a 2017 COLA either - the formula is set by law so it is not just an individual, a legislative branch or even our CEO ( President ) making the call.  

                 

                But if we do get a COLA for 2017 - most of it will be used to pay higher Part B premiums because Part B expenses have risen over the past 2 years.

                 

                So unless the COLA law is actually changed by Congress and signed by the President, we will continue along this path.  BTW, there are more benefits than just SS tied to this CPI - SSI, Veteran and Veteran Survivors, federal employees.

                 

                It is like the old adage - "you have to spend money, to make money" so we need people spending to heat up this economy but on the other hand, Uncle Sam wants to keep interest rates low because of the amount we have to pay on interest on our debt.  

                 

                An economic vicious cycle . . . . 

                 

                IT‘S ALWAYS SOMETHING . . . . .. . . . Roseanne Roseannadanna
                  Svrlrr2008
                  Svrlrr2008
                  Contributor ⭐
                  September 30, 2016

                  I have a question I have been married for6 years now my husband told me we will have to get divorced in the future to be able to claim befits. Him his and me mine is this true ? Really concerned about this. 

                  GailL1
                  GailL1
                  Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
                  September 30, 2016
                  @Svrlrr2008 wrote:

                  I have a question I have been married for6 years now my husband told me we will have to get divorced in the future to be able to claim befits. Him his and me mine is this true ? Really concerned about this. 

                  NO, it is not true.  Maybe he was just messin' with you ! ?   Married partners sometimes do that - Best to understand it yourself because it is YOUR benefit that each of you have supported (contributed to) through your working years.

                   

                  But if a divorce rears its ugly head in the future, make sure you stay married at least 10 years, in case the spousal benefit is bigger than your own benefit.

                  At the 10 year marriage mark, Uncle Sam thinks each party is then vested.

                  IT‘S ALWAYS SOMETHING . . . . .. . . . Roseanne Roseannadanna
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