Articles

  • Benefit Bulletin: February 2014 Before Obamacare “Glitch,” There Was The Notch Glitch Obamacare is not the first government program in which major implementation glitches had disastrous consequences for large numbers of beneficiaries.  In 1977 changes that Congress made to the Social Security benefit formula created a major inequity in benefits that cost retirees tens of thousands of dollars in Social ...
  • Seventeen Co-sponsors for The Notch Fairness Act While Congress has been holding hearings and considering changes to Social Security, TSCL has been successful in gaining co-sponsors for The Notch Fairness Act. The bill, introduced in the House and Senate by Representative Mike McIntyre (NC-17) and Senator David Vitter (LA), would provide Notch Babies born from 1917 through 1926 their choice of $5,000 paid ...
  • Risk of Deeper Benefit Cuts When Congress Waits The Notch Fairness Act In House And Senate What happens when Congress waits too long to address a Social Security funding crisis? Deeper benefit cuts, sudden tax increases, and glitches in the implementation of reforms that can lead to significant benefit inequities between people close to each other in age. Consider the case of the Social ...
  • Benefit Bulletin: June 2013 What Caused The Social Security Notch? The Social Security Notch is the unexpectedly steep drop in benefits that affects people born from 1917 through 1926. This generation of seniors receives lower benefits than other seniors who had nearly identical work and earnings histories. The sharp plunge was the result of changes that Congress made in 1977 to a ...
  • Could Your Benefits Be Notched? The Notch Fairness Act Introduced in the House and Senate Are you at risk of a notch in your Social Security benefits? A “notch” refers to inequality in benefits between people who are close in age and have similar earnings records. One birth group receives significantly more in benefits, sometimes thousands of dollars per year, than ...
  • Benefit Bulletin: March/April 2013 $5,000 Notch Fairness Act Reintroduced Congress and President Obama are battling over the federal budget, but supporters in Congress aren’t about to forget Notch Babies. The Notch Fairness Act bills (H.R. 155) and (S.90) were introduced by Representative Mike McIntrye (NC-7) and Senator David Vitter (LA). They were among the first bills to be re-introduced in ...
  • TSCL Continues Working For Notch Reform TSCL has not given up our goal of Notch reform.  In recent months we have been working with long-term Notch reform allies in Congress to ensure that Notch Babies’, needs are protected from deficit reduction plans that would affect people who are currently retired. TSCL is working for the re-introduction of the Notch Fairness Act.  This ...
  • Benefit Bulletin: August 2012 TSCL Chairman Larry Hyland Congratulates Representative Mike McIntyre (NC-7) Congressman Mike McIntyre Receives TSCL 2012 Seniors Advocate Award One of North Carolina’s staunchest advocates for seniors was recently recognized for his efforts on behalf of the nation’s senior citizens. Representative Mike McIntyre (D-NC-7) received the 2012 Seniors Advocate Award from The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) one ...
  • Legislative Update: August 2012 Three Ways Congress Can Pay For Notch Reform By Jessie Gibbons, Legislative Analyst Each month, due to the Social Security Act Amendments that were signed into law in 1977, more than 3.7 million Notch babies receive Social Security checks that are lower than the benefits they originally anticipated. Last year, Representative Mike McIntyre (NC-7) introduced the Notch ...
  • Benefit Bulletin: June 2012 “Tough Choices” — Payroll Tax Cut For Illegals Or Notch Reform? “Tough choices.” When referring to reducing the Social Security deficit, those tough choices boil down to just two choices — raising taxes or cutting benefits. The Social Security Notch is one of our nation’s most ignominious examples of how tough Social Security choices went awry ...

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