The Senior Citizens League is continuing its campaign to push Congress for a fourth stimulus payment for seniors.
The advocacy organization sent to members of Congress a letter recently.
In the letter, the group asked the government to consider creating a targeted stimulus aimed at boosting Social Security benefits for recipients.
$1,400 is the amount the group asks the government to consider for each recipient.
“We’ve heard from thousands of them (seniors) who have exhausted their retirement savings, who have started eating just one meal a day, started cutting their pills in half because they can’t afford their prescription drugs, to list just a few of the drastic steps so many have had to take because of what inflation has done to them this year,” TSCL Chairman, Rick Delaney explained in the letter.
According to Delany, social security recipients could receive a highly beneficial extra $1,400 stimulus check that would be non-taxable income for seniors
“We believe that a special stimulus for Social Security recipients could help defray the higher costs some would face if next year’s COLA bumps them into a higher tax bracket, causing higher tax rates on their income and surcharges to their Medicare Part B premiums,” he said.
If the American citizens’ demands are met, a 5.9% increase is expected for Social Security recipients in 2022, the highest increase in almost 40 years.
About $92 will be added to a retired worker’s monthly income on average.
As a result of inflation and increases in Medicare premiums, much of the $92 is expected to be significantly eaten up anyways.
In order to buffer the impact of the COVID pandemic, three stimulus payments have already been approved.
In March 2020, a check for $1,200 was sent, followed in December by a check worth $600.
A payment of $1,400 was approved for March 2021.
Currently, It is still unclear whether Congress will pass a fourth stimulus check.
A petition has also been launched to be presented to Congress, alongside the letter, to further back the group’s claim.
Hi I think these politicians have forgotten about the elderly and disabled people who live way under the poverty level we dont have young children we also have not lost our income due to the pandemic even though we have. Because of inflation and we can not get rental help I just applied for food stamps and they are giving me $24 a month what the hell the politicians are forgetting where most of there voters come from if they don’t want to help the seniors I will be voting for all new people because right now I’m disabled and homeless due to the increasing rentals I only receive $700 from SSD and $89 for SSI HOW THE HELL CAN I AFFORD TO LIVE RENTALS START AT $1200A MONTH and that’s in the bad neighborhood I would have to live in a $2000 a month apartment to be in a safe environment so for now I sit by the water in my unregistered car praying that I don’t get stopped because if I loose my car I will loose everything
We need help I’m disabled and can’t get assistance because I didn’t loose income even though everything went up due to covidi get a total of $780 from SSDI and I get $24 in food stamps rents have gone up to $1200 for a 1 bedroom in a horrible neighborhood so I live down by the river in my unregistered car praying I don’t get pulled over because I can’t afford to get it legal and if they impound my car I’m really screwed HELP THE PEOPLE WHO ARE STUGLING IM DISABLED AND CANT GO TO WORK