Tag Archives for Associated Press

Chair Casey leaves mark on national aging policy. Leadership changes in DC and RI 

Published in RINewsToday on December 16, 2024

Last week, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, held his last hearing, entitled “Empowering People with Disabilities to Live, Work, Learn, and Thrive, in SD 106.  This hearing was his swan song as Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee. 

The 3-term Democratic Senator, first elected in 2006, lost his reelection bid for a fourth term to Republican Dave McCormick, a West Point graduate, combat veteran and Bronze star recipient, and a national security expert, and former hedge fund manager.  A recount of votes confirmed that Casey lost by 16,000 votes (3,398,628 to 3,382,423) and he conceded the race on Nov. 21st.

With the dust settling after the Nov. 5th presidential election, Republicans will take control of the legislative agenda of the upper chamber, with a 53-47 majority, and control the house.

According to a Senate Aging Committee, during the upcoming 119th Congress Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), a former Ranking Member, is expected to replace Casey as chairman on Jan. 3rd, 2025. Former Ranking Member Mike Braun (R-Ind) will leave the Senate after becoming Governor-elect of Indiana. 

An advocate for America’s seniors

During the 118th, the Senate Aging Committee under the helm of Casey held 18 full hearings, five field hearings, and one joint full hearing.  His final hearing, lasting one hour and 46 minutes, highlighted his long record as a champion for people with disabilities, and laid out his vision for how Congress must continue to work to empower them. 

“From the beginning of my time in the Senate, I heard a constant refrain from disability advocates that their needs were not being met—they faced barriers to save for their future, they were being paid well below a living wage, and they could not afford or access the care they needed,” says Casey in his opening statement. “Those refrains, including from some of the people we heard from at today’s hearing, are what inspired me to make people with disabilities a focus of my Senate career and time as Aging Committee Chairman,” he said.

During his 18 years in the Senate, Casey has been one of the foremost champions in Washington for people with disabilities. He created the Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE) program, which has helped hundreds of thousands of families save for long-term care for their disabled loved ones with a tax-advantage savings account. The Associated Press hailed this legislation as “the most important new law for [those with disabilities] in 25 years.  He also made federal websites more accessible for people with disabilities, and propelled the fight for access to home care to the forefront of the national conversation. 

In addition, the Pennsylvania Senator led efforts to improve care in nursing homes by expanding and strengthening oversight over poor-performing facilities while ensuring that nursing homes and long-term care facilities have the resources they need to provide high-quality care to residents. His work has led the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to publicly release information about nursing facilities with a documented pattern of poor care, ensuring older adults and their families have the information they 

At the Dec. 12th hearing, Chairman Casey also released a series of issue briefs documenting his record chairing the Aging Committee on making government technology accessible, expanding access to home care, improving nursing homes, lowering prescription drug costs, and ensuring economic security for older adults:

“We have made a lot of progress, from creating the ABLE program to making government technology more accessible,” Casey continued. “But as we heard today, there is still a lot more to do—from expanding access to home care to finally phasing out the subminimum wage,” he added.

Kudos to Casey’s advocacy for America’s disabled Seniors

At the hearing, witnesses from Pennsylvania and national organizations testified about the impact of Casey’s work impacting the disability community in the Commonwealth and around the country.

I want to thank Senator Casey for your leadership. None of the successes I outlined would have been possible without your steadfast championship, advocacy and partnership. It is daunting to think about facing the challenges ahead, particularly the threats to Medicaid, without you at the helm, but we have been emboldened to reimagine what is possible because of your leadership,” says Witness Ai-Jen Poo, President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Executive Director of Caring Across Generations.

Witness Neil McDevitt, Mayor of North Wales, Pennsylvania, noted: “Senator Casey, you have been a steadfast ally of North Wales Borough, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and millions of disabled and Deaf Americans. We owe you a debt that can never be repaid.”

“Things are actually changing. We are not yet where we need to be when it comes to disability access and acceptance, but we are getting there. It brings me great joy when I hear of disabled people in my community getting good paying jobs and not being relegated to sheltered workshops for less than minimum wage,” adds Erin Willman, CEO of White Cane Coffee in Warren, Pennsylvania. 

Witness Lydia Brown, Director of Policy, National Disability Institute, told the attending Senators:“Ten years ago, Sen. Casey’s leadership in introducing and passing The ABLE Act changed the game. People whose disabilities began before age 26 can now access a savings vehicle that can conserve up to $100,000 total without their savings counting against them in determining eligibility for SSI and Medicaid. Money in an ABLE account can be used for a wide range of qualified disability expenses, including otherwise unaffordable assistive technology and health care, as well as educational and employment related costs. For many disabled people on Medicaid, an ABLE account is also their only available means to save for retirement.”

A fond farewell 

“Bob Casey served honorably as the chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.  He held a wide range of hearings intended to develop a record that could be used to help shape future legislation,” says Max Richtman, President & CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare who also is a  former staff director of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. Casey had held numerous hearings on issues facing older adults that helped build support for components of the Older Americans Act reauthorization – which just passed the Senate and may be included in the end-of-year package, noted Richtman. 

“Senator Casey also held hearings on disabled older adults, including one with former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley to discuss what the Social Security Administration (SSA) is doing to make the application process easier,” added Richtman, noting that other hearings were held on scammers preying on the elderly – designed to help older adults and their families know what to look for — and protect against.  

“We can only hope that when Republicans assume control of the Senate in January, this committee will continue the serious work of looking after the interests of seniors, who have contributed so much to our society and yet are among our most vulnerable citizens,” says Richtman.

“Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO) thanks Senator Bob Casey for his leadership and dedication to improving the lives of older Americans through his work on the Senate Aging Committee,” said Debra Whitman, LCAO Chair. “We look forward to collaborating with incoming Chairman Rick Scott to continue addressing the needs and enhancing the well-being of our nation’s growing aging population,” she says.

“As Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Senator Bob Casey was a critical champion for seniors. He fought to strengthen Social Security and Medicare, stop elder abuse, and improve conditions in nursing homes. Casey will be greatly missed in the Senate by everyone who cares about senior issues. We urge the next chairman of this invaluable committee to continue his legacy.” Says Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works.

“It is wonderful to have a Senate Aging Committee and Senator Casey’s terrific advocacy but inexcusable for the House not to restore its counterpart, which Chairman Claude Pepper proved is indispensable,” said Robert Weiner, former Chief of Staff of the House Select Committee on Aging and later a senior White House spokesman.

Announcing job transitions and retirement – in Rhode Island

Two well-known aging advocates have announced their departures.

The Alliance for Better Long-Term Care announces the retirement of Kathleen “Kathy” Heren. She dedicated 26 years to serving Rhode Island’s seniors.  For the past 15 years, Heren has served as the Rhode Island State Long Term Care Ombudsman, tirelessly advocating for the rights and well-being of residents in long-term care facilities across the state. She is known for her “fierce dedication, wisdom, and compassion have made her an unwavering champion for those in need.”

After serving as Executive Director of LeadingAgeRI for over 16 years, James P. Nyberg is leaving the nonprofit to become Senior Advisor at the Boston-based Public Consulting Group.   He will provide his expertise to the company on home and community-based services.

During his tenure, he significantly advanced aging services by advocating for quality, affordable care and fostering partnerships with state and national stakeholders. His leadership has driven innovative initiatives addressing the needs of older Rhode Islanders while supporting workforce development and professional growth among member organizations.

Nyberg ably served as Chair of the state’s Advisory Commission on Aging for over six years.

Survey: Many Put Retirement on Hold

Published in Woonsocket Call on May 15, 2016

The Associated Press (AP)-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, funded by The Alfred Sloan Foundation, released a study this month that finds that departing the workforce at the traditional retirement age of 65 is no longer a reality for most older Americans. This new study extends the research of an earlier 2013 retirement study to look at efforts made by older workers to improve career skills and their plans to adjust the parameters of work in later stages of their work life. It also takes a look at a variety of implications of the trend of working longer along with the motivations for doing so.

The 10 page report, released on May 10, 2016, finds that there are large numbers of older Americans who are currently, or who expect to be, working longer. However, researchers caution that this does not necessarily mean that older workers are continuing with the same employment circumstances indefinitely. Many are either reducing their hours to part-time status or are planning to switch to a new employer or even a new field. (The AP-NORC study confirms the findings of an AARP retirement study reported in my September 14, column, entitled “Still Getting the Job Done” that noted “new retirement activity.”)

The Graying of America’s Work Force

The AP-NORC survey comes at a time when the size of the nation’s older population is larger than it has ever been and projected to keep growing, say the researchers. Between 2003 and 2013, the number of Americans age 65 and older rose from 35.9 million to 44.7 million. In the next quarter century, this number is expected to rise to 82.3 million. The percentage of the overall population that falls within this group will rise from 14.1 percent in 2013 to 21.7 percent in 2040, notes the study.

“The circumstances and future plans of older Americans must be well understood by decision-makers,” said Trevor Tompson, director of The AP-NORC Center. “Not only are older Americans going to work longer, but 4 in 10 respondents are planning to change career fields in the future. These results point to significant changes in the American workforce with impacts likely felt by workers and employers.”

No Plans for Retirement

Here is a sampling of key findings reported in The AP-NORC’s “Working Longer” study:

According to the survey, a quarter of older workers say they plan to never retire, with this response being more common among lower-income workers than higher-income workers. Specifically, 33 percent of those earning less than $50,000 a year saying they will never retire, compared with 20 percent of those who earn $100,000 or more.

The findings also indicate that more than half of older workers plan to be employed past the traditional retirement age of 65 or already have worked past this age. Additionally, six in 10 older workers age 50 to 64 plan to work past the age of 65. Nearly half of those who are 65 and older say they already work or plan to work during this later stage of life, notes the study.

The study reveals that members of the workforce who are age 65 and older are not limiting themselves to occasional work–this group reports an average of 31 hours per week in the workplace.

Additionally, more than 4 in 10 Americans age 50 and older have spent at least 20 years working for the same employer at some point in their careers. These workers are more excited and less anxious about retirement than those without such long histories with a single employer, says the study..

The findings also show that a majority of the older Americans who are planning to remain in or rejoin the workforce are planning to switch either professional fields or employers in the future. Those who are age 65 and older are especially likely to plan a change. In addition, a sizeable minority of older workers are taking steps to keep their skill sets fresh by pursuing job training or additional education.

Finally, a quarter of adults age 50 and older have looked for a job in the past five years. Many of them are encountering difficulties in the job market, with a third reporting that it has been so difficult that they’ve given up looking at some point during their search.

Fear of Outliving Retirement Savings

“One could say that the [The AP-NORC] survey simply leads us back to the same ‘old’ story,” said AARP Rhode Island State Director Kathleen Connell. “But what is ‘old’ and what are we going to do about it? The survey provides more data to underscore the need for policy changes as well as a refocusing on employment and retirement. In a single generation, the world has changed. On the upside, the numbers reflect people in better health working longer, and many of those folks continue to be fulfilled in their jobs. But we all know that for most people this trend stems from the fear of outliving savings, often compounded by the inability to save substantially for retirement.

“Worries about Social Security are in the mix, also, as people worry that benefits someday may not cover the cost of housing, food and healthcare. The thought of any future reduction in Social Security benefits is daunting. That’s why AARP continues to ask presidential candidates to ‘Take a Stand,” by providing specific plans to address necessary changes in the program. As we have been saying, doing nothing is not an option.

“One of the encouraging trends revealed in the survey is that many workers over 65 say they are certain that they will change jobs or careers before they retire. It says to me that the message is kicking in that reaching what we once accepted as ‘retirement age’ no longer holds people back.”

A total of 1,075 interviews were conducted for this AP-NORC survey with adults age 50 and older representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. The combined response rate is 14.2 percent. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 3.9 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, including the design effect. The margin of sampling error may be higher for subgroups.

Poll Calls Upon Congress to do “the people’s work”

Published in the Pawtucket Times, January 10, 2014

Four months ago, public anger reached a boiling point when the Republican-led House, controlled by its minority faction of Tea Party members, and the Democratic majority in the Senate failed to agree to an appropriations continuing resolution.
As a result of this budget impasse, a 16 day federal shutdown forced the furlough of 800,000 federal employees and another 1.3 million were required to report to work without known payment dates.

Public polls at that time blamed the GOP for turning its back on the nation by putting partisan politics first rather than doing the People’s business.” The popularity of Congress sank to a new historic low with heated partisan conflict echoing throughout the hallways of Congress.

Hammering Out an 11th Hour Deal

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) with the blessings of conservative groups, including the Heritage Action, the Club for Growth, Freedom Works, and the Senate Conservatives Fund, forcefully pushed House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to offer continuing resolutions not acceptable to President Obama and Congressional Democrats to politically force a delay or to defund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (called “Obamacare”). Strong GOP opposition, spearheaded by Tea Party lawmakers, to raising the nation’s debt ceiling almost forced the government to run out of money to pay its bills.

After weeks of intense political bickering, Congress finally hammered out a political compromise, one that would open the doors of government, but also raise the debt ceiling to keep the nation from free-falling off the fiscal cliff. A failure to raise the debt ceiling could have resulted in the nation’s credit rating being downgraded. If this occurred, average Americans might have seen higher interest rates for mortgages, car loans, student loans and even credit cards. Higher business expenses, due to expensive borrowing rates, might have forced businesses to stop hiring or even to lay off employees. Housing prices might have drop and retail sales slow. The 11th hour compromise kept the American tax payer and business community from taking a huge hit in their pocketbook.

Although Cruz and Tea Party lawmakers in both chambers viewed shutting down the federal government and not raising the debt ceiling as a way to put excess government spending on the chopping block economy, there was economic damage. According to the economists at Standard & Poors, the total cost of the political gridlock to the nation’s economy that occurred before Christmas was estimated to be $24 billion.
Americans Lack Confidence in Congress

With the new Congressional session beginning this month, a new national poll released last week by AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs reveals that few Americans have faith in the current political status with Congress receiving low marks on its performance of upholding the views of most Americans while only 9 percent say it is doing a good job.

According to the poll that comes months after the first government shutdown in 17 years, 70 percent lack confidence in the federal government’s ability “to make progress on important issues facing the nation in 2014.”

However, the poll findings indicate that the respondents have a little bit more faith in their local and state governments, with 45 percent saying that they are at least moderately confident in their state government and 54 percent having at least moderate confidence with elected officials at the local level.

The federal government receives low marks on its performance. For instance, 55 percent believe the government is doing a poor job of representing the views of most Americans while only 9 percent say it’s doing a good job.

Meanwhile, the poll’s results find Americans are more pessimistic than optimistic on matters such as the nation’s ability to produce strong leaders, America’s role as a global leader, and the opportunity to achieve the American dream.

The People’s preferred agenda for the government in 2014 includes a diverse set of policy issues that range from economic problems to social policies to foreign affairs, notes the poll. Health care reform tops their list of priorities, mentioned by 52 percent of respondents as one of the top ten problems, followed by unemployment (42 percent), the economy in general (39 percent), and the federal deficit (31 percent).

“While it is very easy to ask people to choose a single ‘most important problem’ and to build a list for the answers, the reality is that government has to address many issues at the same time,” said Trevor Tompson, director of the AP-NORC Center. “This survey, with data about the public’s priorities on a range of policy issues, provides policy makers with rigorous data as they seek to understand the public’s outlook on where the country is now and what the action agenda should be for the year ahead.”

Wendy Schiller, Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Brown University, notes that the AP-NORC poll reveals “broader concerns expressed in national opinion polls, and by the average Rhode Islander “that our country seems to be slipping on lots of levels.”

Schiller, a frequent guest on Rhode Island PBS’s “A Lively Experiment,” notes that aging baby boomers and seniors worry about issues facing the younger generations, personal debt resulting from student loans to national debt. On the other hand, “Younger folks worry about how they will take care of their parents and grandparents, as well as providing for their own retirement,” she says.

“In a state like Rhode Island, which has such a strong family centered culture, these issues weigh heavily on almost everyone’s minds,” observes Schiller.

One of the poll’s positive findings was that the respondents did not cite healthcare for seniors as a pressing issue even though they did express concern over Social Security and health care reform, adds Schiller. “Preserving Medicare is as important, if not more, to the physical and financial well-being of seniors, so I found it striking that it was not as large a concern [as other issues].”

The polls negative findings of a distrust of government, rather than just a disappointment, concerns Schiller, noting that “Democracies do not fare well when the people lose faith in their government.”

As indicated by the poll, Schiller believes that Rhode Island state elected officials are viewed more positively by voters than those serving in Congress. But, 2014 will be a challenging year for them, especially with issues like the 38 Studios debacle, pension reform issues, and Rhode Island job growth. Schiller believes that “If the General Assembly can increase the trend towards greater transparency and accountability, than they might be able to reverse the downward slide of public faith in government.”

As noted in the poll, “public opinion about Congress is at an all-time low,” says Darrell M. West, Ph.D., Vice President and Director of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. “People are disenchanted with the hyper-partisanship in Washington, D.C., and the inability of congressional leaders to address major policy problems, he says, noting that the government shutdown was very disturbing to mainstream and people now worry about Congress getting anything done.

West, a former Brown University professor and a prominent Rhode Island political commentator, does not see a major resurgence of bipartisanship in this Congress.
“The parties have incentives to highlight their differences rather than compromise their principles. That will make it difficult for the parties to work together, he says.

But West sees an indicator that the GOP might move away from its ties to the Tea Party that put a damper on reaching across the aisle to get the people’s work done. “The only promising sign is Speaker Boehner’s declaration of independence from the right-wing. A month ago, Boehner criticized outside conservative groups and said they had lost all credibility. If he really believes that, it may embolden him to work on immigration reform and pass needed legislation”, says West.

Because of the complexity of today’s domestic and foreign policy, the People want and need their elected officials to quit this partisan bickering and join together to solve the enormous problems that face the nation, warns well-know Rhode Island activist, Susan Sweet, a keen watcher of state, national, and global politics. “Without the political will to stand together and strengthen the People of America, this great experiment in democracy could decline and fall,” she says.

The AP-NORC national poll was conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research from Dec. 12-16, 2013, with 1,141 adults. Additional information about how the survey was conducted, including the survey report and the survey’s complete topline findings can be found on the AP-NORC Center’s website at http://www.apnorc.org.

Herb Weiss, LRI ’12, is a Pawtucket-based writer covering aging, health care and medical issues. He can be reached at hweissri@aol.com.