Federal matching rate and multiplier

Scientists in China, Kazakhstan, India, Russia, Germany, Sweden, and the United States have brought 10 potential COVID-19 vaccines to the point where they are being evaluated in humans in some form. Another 115 are considered by the World Health Organization to be in the "preclinical" stage of development. In some cases, these preclinical vaccine candidates are scarcely off the drawing board. In others, they are still being tweaked or tested in cells. Some are being tried in lab animals..TSCL Calls Seniors To Action.This estimate is still just that - an estimate. The 2020 COLA is based on CPI data through September 2019 and won't be announced until October. Inflation could start going up again, but with the first five months of data so low, we are likely to see another low COLA in 2020..Social Security beneficiaries receive a small automatic increase in their Social Security checks most years, intended to help their benefits keep up with rising costs. But since 2000, COLAs increased benefits a total of just 43 percent while typical senior expenses have jumped 86%. When costs climb more rapidly than benefits, retirees must spend down retirement savings more quickly than expected, and those without savings or other retirement income are either going into debt, or going without..Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage hit a new milestone this year. The highly - loathed "doughnut hole" or "coverage gap" closed this year. But that doesn't mean prescriptions will be free. The co-insurance in the former Part D doughnut hole dropped to 25% of all drug costs. That's the good news. But the out of pocket spending that's required to qualify for catastrophic drug coverage took a big jump, from ,100 in 2019, to ,350 an increase of ,250. That's the biggest jump in the out-of-pocket threshold since the start of Part D in 2006..Tell us what you think! It's time for the TSCL's 2019 Senior Survey. This is your opportunity to let us know what you think about major proposals affecting your benefits. Tell us how rising costs are affecting you. The answers to these questions help us inform journalists, the public, and Members of Congress on how older Americans are faring in retirement today. Your participation is helping to change the national dialogue on the adequacy of Social Security benefits, and throwing a spotlight on the growing problem of the ability of COLAs to maintain the buying power of your benefits.."The Senior Citizens League strongly opposes this effort to overturn Americans' access to health care," Johnson asserts..What that means, in plain language, is the President is suggesting that for an unspecified "short term," taxes paid by workers into the Social Security system be suspended, further weakening the Social Security system..retirement benefits later on when you stop working. If you've delayed starting

Blog Doj Pulls Advance Rulemakings For State And Local Government Accessibility
Rep. Bill Pascrell has urged President Biden to fire the entire USPS Board of Governors. "The continued challenges in preserving our Postal Service to survive and endure are gargantuan, and so demand bold solutions to meet them. To begin that work, we must have a governing body that can be trusted to represent the public interest," Pascrell wrote..Rather than making deliberate well-reasoned choices, our brains often latch onto the first piece of information offered when making a decision, even though we may not be aware we are doing so - a process cognitive scientists have named "anchoring." You already know how it works. We've all seen a sign like this: "SAVE! 4 cans of soup for $Limit 12 cans per customer!" How many cans would you buy?.The CPI-E Act, if signed into law, would amend the Social Security Act with regard to the annual cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security and Medicare benefits. Currently, the COLA is based upon the spending patterns of young, urban workers, but this legislation would calculate the COLA based on the spending patterns of seniors. … Continued

Issue Brief Finding Policy Responses To Rising Intimate Partner Violence During The Coronavirus Outbreak
This week, seven new cosponsors signed on to the Social Security 2100 Act, bringing the total up to eighty-four. The new cosponsors are: Reps. Luis Gutierrez, Marc Veasey, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Chellie Pingree, Joyce Beatty, and Peter DeFazio..TSCL has long supported adding vision, dental and hearing benefits to Medicare, as well as supporting legislation to lower prescription drug prices. We are waiting to see what the final bills look like that come out of the House and Senate before we determine what kind of endorsement to give..At Monday's press conference, all six Trustees commented on the need for Congress to make some changes to both programs to ensure their financial stability. The Senior Citizens League agrees that both programs must be returned to solvency to ensure that future retirees receive the security they deserve. However, we firmly believe that any changes to either program should be phased in gradually and should not affect those seniors nearing or currently in retirement. … Continued

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