Skip to main content

social security

Congressman Jacobs statement on social security announcement of return to in-person services

By Press Release

Press Release:

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) released the following statement after it was reported the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) reached a deal to resume in-person services at Social Security field offices, Jacobs has been advocating consistently for this outcome. 
 
“For months my office has heard from concerned constituents who have been in desperate need of in person services, and for months I have been calling for the Social Security Commissioner and the head of the AFGE to come to a workable arrangement to restore in-person services at SSA field offices. Now, I am glad to finally say those efforts were successful. While we wait for final details on reopening plans, this is welcome and long overdue news. The fact of the matter is this shouldn’t have taken this long, and the administration has no excuse for denying in-person services to thousands of seniors for months, especially those in NY-27 and other rural communities who have very limited access to the internet. I am proud to have led the charge to get these services returned to in-person availability, and I will keep fighting to ensure the needs of my constituents are met
 
In October, Jacobs led 50 of his House colleagues in sending a letter to Acting SSA Commissioner Kijakazi urging the SSA to work with the AFGE to reopen in-person services as soon as possible. In November, Jacobs introduced the Having Employees Return to Duty (HERD) Act to require government workers to return to work at pre-pandemic staffing levels to provide in-person services for constituents. 

People getting Social Security benefits won't have to file a tax return to get aid in COVID-19 crisis

By Billie Owens

Press release:

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced Friday (April 3) that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has heeded his call and will reverse the guidance issued earlier this week requiring Social Security recipients file a tax return in order to receive the direct cash assistance.

Schumer explained that the reversal is essential to the wellbeing of seniors and disabled New Yorkers because the original IRS requirement of filing a tax return in order to receive the direct assistance would have placed an undue burden on vulnerable individuals, especially seniors, who are already facing tremendous stress as the most at-risk population during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

“After successfully pushing for streamlined payments to New York seniors and most vulnerable in last week’s emergency relief package, the IRS turned around and issued bureaucratic and unreasonable guidance, complicating the process and making it harder for thousands of New Yorkers to quickly get the money they deserve,” Senator Schumer said.

“I’m glad the IRS heeded my call and reversed course, because asking vulnerable individuals living in the epicenter of this global pandemic to jump through unnecessary hoops to get their much-needed cash assistance is irresponsible. The new IRS guidance puts the well-being of these New Yorkers first and achieves the intended goal I so fiercely fought for: get New Yorkers the money they deserve and need to help get through this difficult time as quickly as possible.”

The IRS guidance released on March 30th outlined that Social Security beneficiaries would need to file tax returns in order to receive direct cash assistance, even though the CARES Act explicitly provided the Treasury Department the authority to release cash to those beneficiaries directly.

Schumer opposed the original guidance, saying that the contradicting information only added to the confusion individuals are already facing. The new guidance from the IRS follows the provisions in the Schumer-negotiated CARES Act, providing an avenue for direct cash assistance for the most vulnerable populations.

According to the Social Security Administration, New York has more than 3 million retired and disabled workers receiving Social Security benefits. Below is a breakdown of impacted New Yorkers in each county:

County

Retired Workers on SS

Disabled Workers on SS

Albany

44,140

8,610

Allegany

7,755

1,770

Bronx

126,160

39,975

Broome

32,520

7,395

Cattaraugus

13,290

3,330

Cayuga

12,520

2,590

Chautauqua

23,110

5,245

Chemung

14,500

3,780

Chenango

8,945

2,120

Clinton

12,845

4,025

Columbia

11,595

2,010

Cortland

7,140

1,475

Delaware

8,670

1,615

Dutchess

42,825

8,480

Erie

141,520

30,830

Essex

7,090

1,375

Franklin

7,830

2,065

Fulton

9,405

2,585

Genesee

9,915

2,080

Greene

8,690

2,015

Hamilton

1,360

140

Herkimer

11,305

2,375

Jefferson

14,765

3,530

Kings

238,735

47,025

Lewis

4,080

890

Livingston

10,330

2,090

Madison

10,780

2,100

Monroe

114,385

23,940

Montgomery

9,015

2,145

Nassau

193,170

24,700

New York

194,710

27,880

Niagara

35,840

8,990

Oneida

37,425

8,825

Onondaga

69,845

14,310

Ontario

19,910

3,315

Orange

45,415

10,070

Orleans

6,465

1,630

Oswego

18,035

4,910

Otsego

10,725

1,870

Putnam

13,965

2,225

Queens

251,800

36,485

Rensselaer

24,115

5,190

Richmond

60,895

13,755

Rockland

41,320

5,230

St. Lawrence

16,650

4,610

Saratoga

37,175

5,840

Schenectady

22,935

5,120

Schoharie

5,515

1,125

Schuyler

3,535

740

Seneca

5,765

1,305

Steuben

16,310

3,785

Suffolk

210,475

37,530

Sullivan

11,995

2,890

Tioga

8,655

1,770

Tompkins

12,340

1,925

Ulster

29,810

5,945

Warren

13,170

2,720

Washington

9,990

2,570

Wayne

15,850

3,525

Westchester

128,465

15,680

Wyoming

6,640

1,375

Yates

4,650

820

NYS Total

2,548,783

486,264

GOP blocks legislation to award seniors $250

By Bea McManis

The GOP does it again.

GOP blocks legislation to award seniors $250

"Barbara Kennelly, president of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said it was a "cruel irony" that while Congress and White House were negotiating a deal extending huge tax cuts to wealthy Americans, "today we're told that providing $250 for America's seniors and their families is considered too generous."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101208/ap_on_bi_ge/us_social_security_no_cola

The $250 payment bill is H.R. 5987.

http://thomas.loc.gov

 

Authentically Local