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This week, House and Senate lawmakers remained in their home states and districts for a two-week spring break. They are expected to return to Capitol Hill on Monday, April 29th. Until then, many Members of Congress will be hosting town hall meetings and attending events in their home states and districts..Does it make sense to allow so many to become entitled based on illegal benefits? Previous estimates by TSCL and other policy groups project that the cost could add hundreds of billions of dollars to a program that is now in deficit..This year, on Tuesday, February 16, Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, will be reading Washington's address. Portman has announced that he will be retiring from the Senate when his term expires next year..May 15, 2013 Seniors have lost almost one-third of their buying power since 2000, according to the Annual Survey of Senior Costs, released today by The Senior Citizens League. TSCL is one of the nation's largest nonpartisan senior advocacy groups..According to an analysis performed for TSCL, monthly benefits between 2009 and 2016 are 13% lower than they would have been if inflation had been closer to the more typical 3%. For the typical retiree with an average monthly benefit of ,117 in 2009, Social Security benefits are about 9 per month lower this year, according to the analysis. The analysis calculated that, since 2009, people with average Social Security benefits have lost ,575 in total Social Security income over the past 7 years..If signed into law, the bill would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset two provisions of the Social Security Act that cut the earned benefits of millions of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public servants each year. Because these individuals receive pensions from their state or local governments, their monthly Social Security checks are arbitrarily reduced, often by one-half or more..Despite the continued standoff on Capitol Hill, Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries should rest assured that their benefits will not be impacted by the ongoing shutdown. Both Social Security and Medicare are "mandatory" programs, which means that benefits will go out in full and as scheduled regardless of the federal government's operating status. In addition, the administrative offices for both programs are fully funded and are currently operating normally, so those applying for benefits should not see any delays in their requests..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..Compare your drug and health plan options during the Medicare Open Enrollment period October 15th - December 7th. Does your current drug plan cover expensive new prescriptions? If not, you need to check your other options. Chances are another plan will. Use the Drug and Health Plan Finder at. Make sure you carefully enter every prescription drug you take in order to get a custom comparison of your best drug plan choices. Costs can vary by hundreds, even thousands, of dollars, and you may be very surprised by the savings from switching to a better plan. You can get unbiased help to compare your coverage. Call your Area Agency on Aging and ask for the help of a State Health Insurance Assistance Program counselor, or visit online.