Railroad Retirement Board Annuities for Widows and Widowers

[Excerpt] The Railroad Retirement and Survivors’ Improvement Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-16) increased monthly annuities for many Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) widow and widower beneficiaries. The legislation added a guaranty amount — a temporary supplemental payment — to the initial annuities, making them greater than previously. However, the legislation also provided that the monthly annuities would not increase with annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) while guaranty amounts are paid, in effect keeping them constant for several years. The rules for widow(er) annuities are a source of confusion among RRB beneficiaries. Many believe they are worse off after the 2001 law. However, all widow(er)s who are eligible to receive the initial minimum amount provided by the 2001 law receive an annuity that is greater than or equal to the annuity they would have received under the prior law. This report explains the provisions of the 2001 law that affect widow(er) annuities and provides an illustration of the annuities under both prior law and current law. The report will not be updated

Social Security Reform: Possible Effects on the Elderly Poor and Mitigation Options

[Excerpt] Social Security has significantly reduced elderly poverty. The elderly poverty rate has fallen from 35% in 1959 to an all-time low of 9% in 2006, in large part because of Social Security. If Social Security benefits did not exist, an estimated 44% the elderly would be poor today assuming no changes in behavior. The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, also provides benefits to the poorest elderly, many of whom do not qualify for Social Security benefits. However, despite these programs, about 3.4 million elderly individuals remained in poverty in 2006. The Social Security system faces a long-term financing problem. The Social Security Trustees project cash-flow deficits beginning in 2017 and trust fund insolvency in 2041. Many recent proposals to improve system solvency would reduce Social Security benefits in the future. Benefit reductions could affect the low income elderly, many of whom rely on Social Security benefits for almost all of their income. Such potential benefit reductions could lead to higher rates of poverty among the elderly compared to those projected under the current benefit formula. Because the low- income elderly are especially vulnerable to benefit deductions, many recent Social Security reform proposals have included minimum benefits or other provisions that would mitigate the effect of benefit cuts on the elderly poor. This report analyzes the projected effects of four possible approaches to mitigating the effects of Social Security benefit reductions on elderly poverty in 2042, the first full year of projected trust fund insolvency. The options are compared to a payable baseline, which assumes current-law benefits would need to be cut across the board to balance Social Security’s annual income and spending at the point of insolvency. The four options examined are (1) a poverty-line Social Security minimum benefit; (2) a sliding-scale Social Security minimum benefit; (3) a poverty-line SSI benefit; and (4) a poverty-line SSI benefit with liberalized eligibility

Social Security Administration: Workloads, Resources, and Service Delivery

Some Members of Congress have expressed concern about whether the Social Security Administration (SSA) has adequate resources to manage its workloads. The agency has struggled to provide quality service to the public. Backlogs in the disability programs have caused widespread concern. SSA’s efforts to ensure the accuracy of benefit payments have declined. Many applicants and beneficiaries have experienced long waits at field offices and on the phone. SSA’s workloads are growing as the population increases, the baby boomers retire, the economic situation worsens, and the agency takes on new and more complex responsibilities. SSA’s primary workload is administering the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. In addition, SSA provides substantial administrative support to Medicare and other programs, and partners with the Department of Homeland Security in verifying employment eligibility. The resources SSA has to meet its growing workloads include funding, staff, infrastructure, and management. In recent years, SSA’s administrative funding has increased, but has generally fallen short of requests by the SSA Commissioner and the Bush Administration. SSA’s FY2008 appropriation was the first time that Congress appropriated at or above the President’s budget request in over ten years. SSA’s staffing levels have decreased overall and fluctuated among the specialized staff who manage key workloads; at the same time, SSA’s productivity has increased, according to agency measures. The agency has gradually modernized its technological infrastructure and made efforts to streamline its processes, but independent analysts have argued that these initiatives fall short of what is needed to meet SSA’s growing workloads. Congress could facilitate changes at SSA through the appropriations and oversight processes. Options for congressional action include changing the amount of SSA’s administrative expenses and how they are financed. For example, the Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB) has recommended that Congress increase funding for SSA’s administrative expenses, arguing that the agency does not have adequate resources. The board has also suggested excluding SSA’s administrative costs from discretionary spending caps. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended dedicating funds for program integrity. Congress could also use its oversight powers to encourage more effective management at SSA in areas such as implementing technological improvements, streamlining processes, and recruiting and retaining key staff. Congress could decide not to take any action. However, inaction would likely have consequences. As SSA’s workloads increase, it is unlikely that the agency would be able to reduce the backlogs in the disability programs, and possible that the backlogs would grow further, resulting in longer waits for potential beneficiaries. Managing growing workloads could also preclude efforts to maintain or increase the program integrity activities that are projected to save the Social Security and SSI programs money in the long run. Customer service problems could be difficult to address in the absence of additional staff or resources. Finally, SSA’s outdated computer systems pose security risks and are vulnerable to collapse, according to outside experts. This report provides an overview of SSA’s workloads, resources, and service delivery, as well as issues for Congress. It does not cover H.R. 1 and S.Amdt. 98, which are intended to provide a stimulus to the economy. For more information on that legislation, please see CRS Report R40188, Comparison of Social Security Provisions in the Stimulus Packages Proposed by the House of Representatives and Senate. This report will not be updated

Arts and Social Justice: The Role of Art Organizations in Building Community

ABSTRACT ARTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE: THE ROLE OF CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS IN BUILDING COMMUNITY HANNAH ROMIG This research paper will examine how art can be used as a tool for community development and social change, using a community arts program in one city’s multi-cultural district as a case study. Research will be conducted using a variety of methods, including quantitative data analysis and qualitative data collection. Interviews with key informants and organizations will be a primary source of qualitative data. Observations and census data will be used to supplement information gathered from interviews. This particular community arts program employs principles of organizational sustainability, placemaking, and collaboration in its art-based development practices. Because art-based community development is not issue-based work, the art-based movement for creating social change challenges traditional activism and organizing-based models. This paper will argue that because of these characteristics, art-based community building and cultural programs have the capacity to create sustainable kinship, friendship and trust-based networks, which empower residents and strengthen the capacity of the community to imagine and implement solutions to meet the intimacies and complexities of community needs