The Daily Populous Monday July 5th, 2021 evening edition
Authored by theguardian.com and submitted by Ghostusn

Nancy Reynolds, age 74, of Cape Canaveral, Florida, works as a cashier at Walmart while struggling to make ends meet on her work income and social security benefits of just $709 a month.

“I can’t live on $709 a month, so I have to work. I have no choice, even though my body says you can’t do much more,” said Reynolds.

She explained her benefits are lower due to years where an abusive husband didn’t allow her to work, and she had also taken time off to care for her father before he died. Reynolds relies on Medicare insurance, though she still has to pay co-pays for doctor visits, and receives only $19 a month in food stamp assistance.

Reynolds is one of millions of Americans who are either senior, disabled or survivors of a deceased worker, and rely on social security benefits for the majority of their income, but the average benefit of just over $1,500 a month doesn’t provide enough income to cover basic necessities.

“The government is failing all of us seniors. We have to choose whether we eat or we go to the doctor, do we eat or do we buy medicine? The struggle is out there even though I’m working,” added Reynolds. “I’m wondering how long am I going to have my home, how long am I going to be able to pay for it? Should I buy a tent now and store it, because if I lose my job, I’ll be homeless because no one wants to hire a 74-year-old.”

Approximately 65 million Americans receive a monthly social security benefit, with the majority of payments going to retired workers and their dependents.

Senior citizens and disabled Americans who rely on benefits for the majority of their income are pushing for expansion of social security. Calls for reforms include increasing benefits in line with the cost of living, as employers are providing fewer retirement pensions to workers and the US population at retirement age of 65 is expected to grow from 56 million to 78 million in 2035.

“The nation is really facing a retirement income crisis, where too many people aren’t going to be able to retire and maintain savings to live on,” said Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an advocacy organization for expanding the program. “It’s a very strong system, but its benefits are extremely low by virtually any way you measure them.”

Altman argued an expansion of the program is long overdue, noting that payouts haven’t increased since 1972.

Public opinion polls on social security demonstrate there is strong bipartisan support for the system and opposition to cuts. Congressman John Larson of Connecticut introduced a bill last legislative session to expand social security, along with 209 co-sponsors, and Altman expressed optimism social security legislation could move forward after the Biden administration finalizes the bipartisan infrastructure deal.

Currently, social security benefits in the US are lower than in the majority of developed nations, compared with the percentage of earnings the benefits provide to the average worker. The benefits are also taxed and Medicare costs are deducted as well.

Susan Aubrey Wilde, 74, of Sacramento, California, lives alone in an apartment for seniors on fixed incomes, but her social security benefits of $1,122 a month barely covers little more than her rent of $794. After paying for utilities, internet, phone and the costs to upkeep and insure her car, there is little left to survive. She’s concerned that she won’t be able to afford to stay in her apartment amid rising rents.

Wilde has dental issues, but cannot afford recommended treatment, and she struggles to carry heavy loads up the two flights of stairs to her apartment. Her washing machine is currently broken and she can’t afford to fix or replace it. In 2004, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and still experiences ongoing issues from treatment. She also suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

“I keep a tent by the door because if the rent goes any higher, I may soon be in the street. So much for retiring with dignity,” said Wilde. “I worked all my life until the cancer diagnosis. I raised two children alone on clerical wages and I did my best.”

Nearly 10 million disabled Americans and their dependents rely on social security benefits for their income. The majority of applicants for social security disability benefits are denied, with only 20-25% of applicants awarded benefits from their initial claims.

It took one year for Rocky Giammatteo, 49, of Las Vegas, to receive her disability benefits for multiple sclerosis in 2016.

“I had lost my life savings and was evicted before they finally reached a decision a year later,” said Giammateo. “If it hadn’t been for friends pitching in to help me out those last couple of months, so I could stay in a dive hotel and avoid being homeless, in Vegas’ 110-degree weather, with my poor health, I would’ve been dead.”

After she was awarded benefits and backpay, Giammateo decided to move to Mexico, where the cost of living is much lower than in the US. The benefits she receives barely covered her rent in Las Vegas.

“Moving abroad to a country with a lower cost of living was my only realistic option to survive,” concluded Giammatteo. “I’m basically a medical refugee. It’s painful, but I’m alive to tell you this tale now, so it was the right decision.”

Lil_Gigi on July 5th, 2021 at 06:34 UTC »

I get disability pay. This past semester, I was working at my university. Because in the month of April, I made over $500, my social security pay was cut from $650 down to $400. The reason my pay was high that month is because there were 3 check dates because of how the weeks fell (April 2, 16, and 30). But that job ended May 11. Since then I have had $0 income, but my disability pay is staying at $400. And they’re trying to cut me off completely.

I’ve had to deal with social security through phone calls for years. And it is never an easy thing. Any time I’ve called, it’s been at least 30 minutes before you can even talk to someone, going through about 4 different robo-calls and transfers and holds. There is so much to navigate that you would think it’s intentionally designed so that people who have a hard time won’t be able to get to talk to someone and lose benefits.

There are all kinds of rules to the benefits, too. You can’t make a certain amount of money, you can’t have a certain amount of money in your bank account ($2000 is my limit, idk about anyone else). The Medicaid I get does not pay for any type of mental health, pays less than half the value of prescriptions, and I still get billed for healthcare that Medicaid decided not to cover. And you have to be re-evaluated and have a psychiatric evaluation to make sure you’re still disabled. Sorry to break it to you social security, but I don’t think a neurological disorder simply goes away over the course of a year.

Further, when they want to schedule a talk with me, they give me a date and time, regardless of if it works for me. They say to give a one-hour window to receive a call. And in my most recent of these, I waited the full hour and didn’t get a call. After spending 52 minutes waiting, I finally got to talk to someone who could tell me why I never got the call. “Oh the agent was busy. We’ll reschedule it to <insert day> at <insert time>, goodbye.”

Dealing with Medicaid is another beast of its own. Can’t wait until I can put my degree to use at a full time and not need to rely on social security. The way it’s run, one would think it’s specifically designed to keep you impoverished.

BrentHatley on July 5th, 2021 at 02:28 UTC »

The worst part about disability is that it's so hard to get on disability that once you are on it you are afraid to better your life in any way for fear of losing your lifeline.

Even if you find a way to work five hours a week while on disability, you have to report it, and that can fuck everything up.

Gyarydos on July 5th, 2021 at 00:21 UTC »

in my twenties and all my life I've been told that social security will run out long before I retire.......whaddya mean it's not even enough for right now?