Congressional Research Service Reports - 181 Matching Results

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Social Security: What Happens to Future Benefit Levels Under Various Reform Options

Description: The report first examines several benefit-constraint options. Among them are raising the age at which full Social Security retirement benefits can be received, changing the way initial benefits are computed, and constraining cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). It also illustrates the effects of creating new personal savings accounts and presents their projected impact as a supplement to, or partial replacement of, the existing system, or as a means to close the gap between the benefit levels pr… more
Date: August 20, 2001
Creator: Koitz, David; Kollmann, Geoffrey & Nuschler, Dawn
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security: The Cost-of-Living Adjustment in January 2002

Description: This report discusses the Social Security recipients that receive a costof- living adjustment (COLA) in January of each year. An automatic Social Security benefit increase reflects the rise in the cost of living over roughly a 1-year period
Date: October 25, 2001
Creator: Koitz, David & Kollmann, Geoffrey
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Structure of Social Security Individual Account Contributions and Investments: Choices and Implications

Description: Policymakers have debated creating a system of individual accounts (IAs) as part of Social Security for many years. This report describes policymakers’ administrative and structural choices regarding the collection and investment of assets in a system of individual accounts.
Date: May 1, 2006
Creator: Whitman, Debra B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security: The Cost-of-Living Adjustment in January 2003

Description: This report discusses the Cost-of-living Adjustments to Social Security in 2003. To compensate for the effects of inflation, Social Security recipients receive a cos-of-living adjustment (COLA) in January of each year. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), updates monthly by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is the measure used to compute the change.
Date: October 18, 2002
Creator: Koitz, David & Kollmann, Geoffrey
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security: The Government Pension Offset

Description: This report discusses the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision, which reduces Social Security benefits that a person receives as a spouse if he or she also has a government pension based on work that was not covered by Social Security. Its purpose is to replicate Social Security’s “dual entitlement” rule, which requires that a Social Security benefit earned as a worker be subtracted from any Social Security spousal benefit to which the worker is eligible. Its intent is to remove an advant… more
Date: February 13, 2003
Creator: Kollmann, Geoffrey
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Impact of Medicare Premiums on Social Security Beneficiaries

Description: This report shows how the deduction of Medicare Part B and Part D premiums affects Social Security beneficiaries. It describes how increases in Social Security benefits and Medicare premiums are calculated under current law and explains the circumstances under which Social Security beneficiaries are held harmless for increases in the standard Part B premium, as well as the premium assistance available to low-income beneficiaries.
Date: January 7, 2008
Creator: Romig, Kathleen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security: The Government Pension Offset (GPO)

Description: This report discusses the social security benefits and the spousal benefits of individuals who are not financially dependent on their spouses because they receive benefits based on their own work records.
Date: March 4, 2009
Creator: Shelton, Alison M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Financial Outlook for Social Security and Medicare

Description: This report provides an overview of the financial outlook for Social Security and Medicare programs.
Date: April 28, 2003
Creator: Kollmann, Geoffrey & Nuschler, Dawn
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security: The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)

Description: This report discusses the windfall elimination provision (WEP), which reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who also have pension benefits from employment not covered by Social Security. Its purpose is to remove an advantage these workers would otherwise receive because Social Security’s benefit formula is weighted such that workers with low lifetime earnings receive a greater share of their covered earnings in benefits than workers with medium or high lifetime earnings. Opponents con… more
Date: May 11, 2009
Creator: Shelton, Alison M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Administration: Administrative Budget Issues

Description: The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers the Social Security program (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance, or OASDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and provides administrative support to Medicare and several other federal programs. Total SSA spending in FY2008 was about $658 billion, about 99% of which was mandatory spending on benefit payments. This report focuses on SSA’s administrative spending, which is discretionary and amounts to about 1% of SSA’s … more
Date: August 20, 2009
Creator: Scott, Christine
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Age Dependency Ratios and Social Security Solvency

Description: As highlighted by the Social Security Administration (SSA), the aging of the (United States) population, hastened by the impending retirement of the huge baby-boom generation, has caused policy-makers to question whether the U.S. Social Security system can meet the demands for retirement benefits in the future. Because the current system largely pays benefits through taxes paid by current workers, the financial health of the system is sensitive to the ratio of dependents to workers—sometimes ca… more
Date: July 7, 2005
Creator: Shrestha, Laura B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Data Security: Federal Legislative Approaches

Description: This report discusses the core areas addressed in federal legislation, including the scope of coverage,data privacy and security safeguards for sensitive personal information,requirements for security breach notification, restrictions on social security numbers,credit freezes on consumer reports,identify theft penalties, causes of action and preemption.
Date: January 25, 2007
Creator: Stevens, Gina Marie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Administration: Administrative Budget Issues

Description: The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers the Social Security program (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance, or OASDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and provides administrative support to Medicare and several other federal programs. Total SSA spending in FY2007 was about $624 billion, about 99% of which was mandatory spending on benefit payments. This report focuses on SSA’s spending for administrative expenses, which is discretionary and amounts to about… more
Date: May 27, 2008
Creator: Romig, Kathleen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Child Welfare: Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits for Children in Foster Care

Description: This report begins with a discussion of the foster care system and the Social Security benefits available to eligible children, including those in foster care. It then describes the role of representative payees and their responsibilities. The report provides data on the use of Social Security benefits to reimburse states for child welfare, and includes a discussion of the Keffeler decision. Finally, the report concludes with proposals supported by some advocates to change the current practice … more
Date: January 22, 2008
Creator: Fernandes, Adrienne L.; Szymendera, Scott & Stoltzfus, Emilie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Administration: Administrative Budget Issues

Description: The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers the Social Security program (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance, or OASDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and provides administrative support to Medicare and several other federal programs. Total SSA spending in FY2008 was about $658 billion, about 99% of which was mandatory spending on benefit payments. This report focuses on SSA’s administrative spending, which is discretionary and amounts to about 1% of SSA’s … more
Date: May 18, 2009
Creator: Romig, Kathleen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Disability Insurance: The Five-Month Waiting Period for SSDI Benefits

Description: Current law requires that a person wait five months from the onset of a qualifying disability before receiving Social Security benefits. This report explains the five-month waiting period and its legislative history. This report also provides information on other programs that provide income support during this waiting period. It also briefly describes legislation introduced in the 110th Congress that would reduce or eliminate the five-month Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) waiting p… more
Date: January 8, 2008
Creator: Szymendera, Scott
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security: Trust Fund Investment Practices

Description: This report explains current Social Security trust fund investment practices and briefly describes the issues involved in changing how the trust funds are invested.
Date: May 29, 2008
Creator: Nuschler, Dawn
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security: A Discussion of Some Issues Affecting the Early Retirement Age

Description: This report examines certain technical aspects of the issues surrounding the earliest age of retirement, not only in terms of its treatment under reform proposals, but also in terms of its effect under today's law. It includes background and history of the topic as well as issues related to financing, equity, and incentive effects.
Date: May 15, 2000
Creator: Kollmann, Geoffrey
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Financial Outlook for Social Security and Medicare

Description: This report provides a financial outlook for social security and medicare programs.
Date: March 27, 2002
Creator: Kollmann, Geoffrey & Nuschler, Dawn
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Retirement: Major Legislative Issues

Description: This report includes information involving major legislative issues regarding military retirement. Key elements and issues, budgeting and costs, and concurrent receipt of military retired pay and VA disability compensation are among topics discussed in this report.
Date: July 28, 2004
Creator: Goldich, Robert L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Military Retirement: Major Legislative Issues

Description: This report includes information regarding major legislative issues involving military retirement. Military retirement, retired pay and survivor benefit COLAs, and military retirement budgeting and costs are among topics discussed in this report.
Date: June 2, 2003
Creator: Goldich, Robert L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Social Security Administration: Administrative Budget Issues

Description: The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers the Social Security program (Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance, or OASDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and provides administrative support to Medicare and several other federal programs. Total SSA spending in FY2006 was about $597 billion, 98% of which was mandatory spending on benefit payments. This report focuses on SSA’s spending for administrative expenses, which is discretionary and amounts to 2% of SSA’s… more
Date: July 17, 2007
Creator: Romig, Kathleen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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