Social Security

In addition to the long-term goal of ensuring the viability of the Social Security trust fund, we must address our short-term needs including the decline in staffing levels which has contributed to an FY 07 projected backlog of 1.4 million cases for individuals awaiting Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits. There are also 700,000 people currently awaiting hearings due to a lack of Administrative Law Judges (ALJs). The Social Security Subcommittee has continued to have hearings on these issues and investigate means by which scarce resources may be employed more efficiently in an effort to continue increasing overall productivity.

Today's seniors are facing increasing costs on a fixed income, but many of these seniors aren't even getting all the benefits they paid into Social Security. In an effort to fix this inequality, I have reintroduced my Notch legislation in the 110th Congress to help these individuals who have been adversely affected by the 1977 changes in the Social Security benefit computation rule. These modifications have unfairly deprived those seniors who reached age 65 after 1981 and before 1992 of their fair share of Social Security benefits. My notch legislation would rectify this problem and give these seniors their due.

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