NCPSSM

Will Social Security Decide Maryland’s Senate Race?

The race for Barbara Mikulski’s Maryland Senate seat has just begun. But Social Security is already shaping up as a major issue, especially between two leading contenders: Maryland representatives Chris Van Hollen and Donna Edwards.
via Our Future.

Source: ncpssm.org social security elections politics entitlements p2 retirement retirement crisis seniors maryland

workingamerica

blog.workingamerica.org

Maryland To Raise Its Minimum Wage

workingamerica

In a decision that will give thousands of workers a much needed raise, the Maryland House has passed a bill to raise the minimum wage.

The current wage is set at $7.25 an hour, but come January 1, 2015 workers will make $8.00 an hour. Following that, the wage will increase to $8.25 in July.

Unfortunately the legislation doesn’t give minimum wage earners the chance to make $10.10 until 2018, despite the fact that nearly all of them could benefit from those wages now.

The bill contains several other carve outs as well.

According to the Washington Post:

“The legislation also freezes the base wage for tipped workers at $3.63 per hour, which is 50 percent of the federal minimum wage but not the proposed state wage. O’Malley had proposed increasing that base wage to 70 percent of the state’s minimum wage, which eventually could have been more than $7 per hour.”

Additionally, a provision to index the wage to inflation after it gets to $10.10 in 2018 was also removed.

Following national pressure to raise the wage to $10.10, Maryland is one of many states to push for local minimum wage increases. Working America has been on the front lines of the fight to raise the wage, spearheading a minimum wage campaign in Minnesota earlier this year.

Stay tuned for more minimum wage victories!

bit.ly

Delaying retirement boosts Social Security checks

Max Richtman

It’s no secret that American workers face a major retirement crisis. Wealth inequality and workplace changes mean more and more retirees have come to rely on Social Security for most of their income. But the average monthly Social Security benefit in Maryland is $1,472 — or roughly $18,000 per year, which is only slightly above the federal poverty line. And even with Social Security, some 7 percent of Maryland’s seniors live in poverty.

The good news is that Maryland workers can increase the size of their future Social Security checks by delaying retirement. Delayed claiming past the early retirement age of 62 results in bigger monthly benefit checks for life, and waiting until after the current full retirement age of 66 yields even greater gains — up to 44 percent more than early claiming.

But too few Marylanders are taking advantage of this “delay-and-gain” strategy, or are even aware of it. The average age for claiming Social Security in Maryland is 64 — two years older than the minimum, but early enough to be penalized with lower benefits, which are cut by roughly 6 percent for every year that they file for Social Security before the full retirement age.

Read our full op-ed by clicking here.

Source: bit.ly politics social security social insurance delay and gain earned benefits p2 elderly seniors retirement retirees retirement crisis entitlements entitlement reform retirement age retirement security

americasgreatoutdoors

Originally from Baltimore, Burnett said it was hard to believe, now, but during those terrible times 92 percent of adult men were unemployed in the Maryland port city. Social Security benefits have not kept pace with rising costs for healthcare, food, fuel and housing, reasons why Burnett and NCPSSM has teamed up with first-term Congressman Beatty, who won her election in 2012 with more than 60 percent of the vote.

via the Examiner.

Source: boostsocialsecuritynow.org social security entitlements politics seniors retirement crisis retirement retirees healthcare

baltimoresun.com

Ruppersberger urged to boost Social Security benefits

Representative C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger ’s decision not to run for governor might not have been much of a surprise for Maryland’s politicians, but his older constituents, who comprise about 12 percent of his district’s voters, may well have been surprised to hear that he wants to remain in Washington to continue working on tax and entitlement reform ( “Ruppersberger decides against a run for governor,” Jan. 22).

Source: thetruthnow.org social security politics entitlements

“ Colvin sails through Social Security confirmation hearing:
Carolyn W. Colvin’s hearing before the Senate Finance Committee — which took place hours ahead of a scheduled month long recess — drew only two Republicans and lasted less than an hour, an... — **Colvin sails through Social Security confirmation hearing**:
Carolyn W. Colvin’s hearing before the Senate Finance Committee — which took place hours ahead of a scheduled month long recess — drew only two Republicans and lasted less than an hour, an indication the Maryland native might face an easier path to the job than initially expected.
We support Carolyn Colvin as Social Security Commissioner.

Source: ncpssm.org social security carolyn colvin SSA politics entitlements retirement news

Instead of “entitlement reform,” we suggest Mr. Ruppersberger talk about boosting “earned benefits” that improve the lives of older Marylanders and strengthen the economic outlook for Maryland’s 2nd District — including the 118,000 Social Security beneficiaries who receive $1.7 billion in Social Security benefits.

Max Richtman via Baltimore Sun.

Source: thetruthnow.org social security politics entitlements seniors retirement retirees retirement crisis

asthecrowtherflies

baltimoresun.com

Social Security begins paying same-sex couple claims

ncpssm

The Obama administration said Monday that it is processing Social Security benefits for same-sex couples, six months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act .

Know Your Rights: Social Security and the LGBT Community.