Date: May 6, 2009
Contact: John Lowrey (202) 225-6161 
Linda Macias (202) 225-6161

NEWS RELEASE...
 

Baca Announces Recovery Payments For Social Security Recipients Will Begin to Go Out May 7

$250 Recovery Payments Expected to be Fully Distritbuted by End of May

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto) announced that the $250 economic recovery payments for Social Security recipients, which were provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will begin to go out on May 7 – with the goal of all these payments being sent out by the end of May.

“In our state of California, over 4.2 million seniors and disabled Americans will receive this $250 recovery payment,” said Rep. Baca.  “In the 43rd Congressional District, these benefits will total over $18.2 million in direct payments to American consumers.  This recovery payment will provide a much-needed boost to many of our most vulnerable Inland residents, while at the same time investing millions of dollars back into our local economy through consumer spending.”  

Millions of the Social Security recipients receiving these payments are widowed, divorced, or single and among the seniors with the lowest average incomes.

These payments will make a difference:

• The median annual income for non-married Social Security recipients over age 65 who are women is only $13,151.  The median annual income of non-married Social Security recipients over age 65 who are men is only $17,611.

• Nearly 30 percent of non-married Social Security recipients who are women over age 65 are poor or near-poor – with 17.4 percent living below the federal poverty line and another 10.8 percent with incomes below 125 percent of the poverty line.

In addition to the economic recovery payments being made to Social Security recipients, the Recovery Act also provides these payments to disabled veterans and Railroad Retirement recipients.  The payments to Railroad Retirement recipients are scheduled to begin to go out in late May and the payments to disabled veterans in June.  In total, more than 50 million Americans will get this one-time payment.

“The Recovery Act signed by President Obama this past February is historic and sweeping legislation that is already beginning to make a real difference,” concluded Rep. Baca.  “In addition to creating or saving 3.5 million jobs and providing a tax cuts for 95 percent of working families, it contains these critical $250 Economic Recovery Payments for older Americans, disabled veterans, and others.  These payments will help millions of Americans meet some of their basic needs and also provide a much needed boost of consumer spending to our struggling economy.”