Retirement Security
The retirement income system will come under increasing stress in the years ahead, with Social Security facing a modest shortfall over the next 75 years, Disability Insurance facing insolvency by 2016, and employers increasingly replacing traditional defined-benefit pension plans with defined-contribution plans. In addition, tax incentives for retirement saving are poorly targeted. Policy Futures works to improve retirement income security for low- and moderate-income Americans.
Repealing Social Security’s WEP and GPO Rules Would Be Misguided
Congress faces mounting pressure from some current and retired public employees to repeal Social Security’s Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO),...
SSA Should Resume Mailing Statements to Almost All Workers
A bipartisan bill from Reps. John Larson and Vern Buchanan and Senators Ron Wyden and Bill Cassidy would clarify that the Social Security Administration (SSA) must mail statements to almost...
Senate Bill Would Cut Social Security Operations Again
This summer’s budget deal between President Trump and congressional leaders offers enough total discretionary dollars to give the Social Security Administration (SSA) a much-needed funding boost in...
Social Security: A Vital Protection for African American People of All Ages
Social Security is a critical source of income for African American people of all ages and has reduced economic disparities between African American and white families. That’s especially important...
6 Things Millennials Should Know About Social Security
Discussions of Social Security often pit younger workers against older retirees, but Social Security is actually an intergenerational compact that helps Americans of all ages — which explains its...
What the 2019 Trustees’ Report Shows About Social Security
Social Security can pay full benefits for 16 more years, the trustees’ annual report shows, but then faces a significant, though manageable, funding shortfall.[1] Several key points emerge from...
Financial Challenges Facing Social Security and Medicare Largely Unchanged From Last Year, Except for Improvement in Disability Insurance
The financial outlook for Social Security as a whole is much the same as last year, while the program’s trustees have dramatically revised their estimate for the DI trust fund, projecting an...
SSA Staffing Shortage Hurts Hard-Working Americans
Years of SSA cuts have already taken their toll, causing the agency to lose 12 percent of its staff since 2010, close field offices, and shorten office hours, even as it faced record-high...
What the 2018 Trustees’ Report Shows About Social Security
Policymakers should address Social Security’s long-term shortfall primarily by increasing Social Security’s tax...
Social Security and Medicare Face Manageable Financial Challenges, 2018 Trustees’ Reports Confirm
Statement of Paul N. Van de Water, Senior Fellow
The financial outlook for Social Security is much the same as last year, with the program as a whole able to pay full benefits until 2034, while...