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We have been hearing from hundreds of you who are watching the inflation numbers and eagerly looking forward to getting a high inflation boost next year. But a number of you point out an urgent problem that occurs when COLAs raise the income of people with lower incomes. The higher inflation boost can sometimes disqualify people of modest means from receiving low-income benefits such as food stamps or rental assistance..Usually during economic downturns many older workers are forced into retirement when they lose jobs. While the pandemic may have caused more to retire earlier than planned, deaths removed hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries from Social Security rolls. In fact, life expectancy plunged by a full year in the first half of 2020, from 78.8 years to 77.8 years, the biggest drop since World War II..TSCL believes modestly higher retirement benefits are needed by a majority of people at or nearing retirement. A number of national studies indicate that millions of older Americans are entering retirement without the financial resources to cover retirements that may stretch 30 years or more. A 2015 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office that says about one - half of households 55 and older have no retirement savings, and many of those that do run the risk of falling short of income..It will be important to continue to wear masks, maintain social distancing, wash our hands frequently, and continue the other precautions we've been taking in order to protect those for whom the vaccine might not work. As time goes on and more people are vaccinated and more who've gotten the virus get better, the rates of infection will start to drop. It's at that point we can begin to go back to normal..What is the "chained" CPI?.You will need to respond to the Social Security Administration by stating that you are contesting the amount of earnings that the Social Security Administration says you had, and the amount of money they say you were over paid. You should also ask Social Security for a review of your earnings record. You may be a victim of identity theft and one or more people might be using your Social Security number to illegally work..A balanced budget amendment to the constitution might sound like a good idea on the surface, but when the details are examined, it could be disastrous for programs like Social Security and Medicare. The Senior Citizens League tirelessly advocated against its adoption when it was considered earlier this year, and because lawmakers aren't giving up on it anytime soon, we aren't either..The resolution introduced by Rep. Rigell expresses a commitment to two critical issues facing seniors, and TSCL was pleased to lend its support to it this week..When Franklin Roosevelt signed Social Security into law as part of