Kirsten Gillibrand United States Senator for New York

Seniors have spent a lifetime paying into Social Security and Medicare, saving for their retirement, and preparing for their golden years. Senator Gillibrand is working hard to ensure these programs are preserved for not only current retirees, but for the next generation of seniors. As a member of the Special Committee on Aging, Senator Gillibrand is also pushing legislation that would provide a broad range of senior services, from nutrition and in-home care, to housing, transportation, and financial security.

Social Security

Keeping Social Security solvent for current beneficiaries and future generations is one of Senator Gillibrand’s priorities in Congress. Nearly 50 million Americans rely on monthly benefits from the Social Security Administration. After decades of service and hard work, seniors should have economic security in their retirement.

Senator Gillibrand has fought to protect Social Security throughout her time in Congress. She has co-sponsored several pieces of legislation that support Social Security, including the Middle Class Success Act, which would keep Social Security’s promise to provide financial security for retirees, and would block proposals to privatize the program. She also co-sponsored Senate Resolution 230, which expressed the sentiment that any agreement to reduce the budget deficit should not include cuts to Social Security benefits.

Medicare

Medicare currently covers more than 49 million Americans aged 65 and older, playing a vital role in providing access to quality healthcare regardless of income or medical history. Medicare manages to provide health care with very little overhead using a model has been proven to work for the last 40 years.

Senator Gillibrand is fighting to protect and strengthen Medicare. Seniors have spent their working lives paying into Medicare and deserve all the benefits they were promised. She is working to expand Medicare by providing special assistance to seniors with chronic illnesses to help them avoid multiple hospital stays, and additional financial help to low-income seniors.

By fighting to pass the Affordable Care Act, Senator Gillibrand helped close the “donut hole” in Medicare Part D. The law also extends the solvency of Medicare and cuts waste, fraud, and abuse within the program. An annual wellness visit is covered without any out-of-pocket expense to the beneficiary.

To make Medicare stronger by combating fraud within the program, Senator Gillibrand authored the Medicare and Medicaid Fraud Enforcement and Prevention Act, which would toughen penalties for abusers attempting to cheat the system, establish new screening procedures to prevent fraud, and save taxpayers money. Medicare and Medicaid fraud cost the U.S. economy more than $80 billion each year.

Helping Seniors Age In Place

Senator Gillibrand has also fought to expand coverage of in-home or in-community based care. Seniors who are able to age in place are happier, more involved with their communities, and receive services at a reduced cost to Medicare and Medicaid. She also supports increasing the workforce of health professionals caring for seniors, and investing in transportation options so seniors can remain independent.

Senator Gillibrand is pushing the Retooling for an Aging America bill to address the severe shortage of health care personnel who are trained to care for older adults. This measure would expand education and training opportunities in geriatrics and long-term care for licensed health professionals, direct care workers, and family caregivers.

She is also working on legislation with the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University to create a grant program for local and municipal governments, and non-profit organizations. These grants would fund training for family caregivers, and would create a National Clearinghouse to coordinate research and share best practices.

In addition, Senator Gillibrand is a co-sponsor of the Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act, which would add a federal component to the background check process for health care employees by screening applicants against the FBI’s national database of criminal history records. This will help prevent the abuse and neglect of older persons living in nursing homes and other residential care settings, as well as seniors being cared for in their own homes.

Alzheimer's

With an estimated 5.4 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Senator Gillibrand introduced legislation that would improve treatment services for Alzheimer's patients and expand training and support services for their families and caregivers. The Alzheimer's Treatment and Caregiver Support Act would provide grants to public and nonprofit organizations to improve patient treatment services and support services for Alzheimer's caregivers.

Senator Gillibrand understands that early detection, diagnosis and connection to care and support can have a significant impact on the quality of life for people with the disease and their family members. That’s why she is a co-sponsor of the Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education (HOPE) for Alzheimer’s Act. This bill would provide for Medicare coverage of comprehensive Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, and would improve care and outcomes for Americans living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias by improving detection, diagnosis, and care planning.

To continue the fight against Alzheimer's, Senator Gillibrand co-sponsored the Alzheimer's Breakthrough Act, which would increase funding for research of Alzheimer's disease.

Protecting Seniors Against Financial Fraud

With over half a million New York seniors falling victim to consumer fraud each year, Senator Gillibrand is working hard to crack down on financial fraud against seniors by increasing penalties against those who scam seniors, and making seniors aware of the criminal tactics used by scammers.

Americans over the age of 65 control nearly $15 trillion in assets. Since a large portion of their assets are investable, seniors are often offered complicated investment products, such as reverse mortgages and various annuity products. While these products can be valuable to certain senior investors, many seniors have fallen victim to corrupt and dishonest would-be criminals selling products they don’t need or against their best interests. Senator Gillibrand introduced the Senior Investor Protections Enhancement Act, which would target those who commit securities violations against seniors and charge an additional $50,000 civil fine for each violation committed against a senior.

Seniors often fall victim to misleading financial advisors touting “senior designations” to lure seniors into fraudulent investment opportunities. To combat these scams, Senator Gillibrand introduced the Senior Investor Protection Act, which would create a national grant program for states to protect seniors from misleading financial advisors claiming to specialize in seniors.

Federal law protects Social Security and veterans’ benefits from seizure by debt collectors. But many seniors or veterans who receive their benefits directly deposited into their bank accounts are not protected by this law because of a loophole being exploited by creditors. While New York State has passed state laws to help protect Social Security and veterans’ benefits, the absence of federal protections means that many New York seniors are still at risk. To ensure all New York seniors are protected, Senator Gillibrand co-sponsored the Illegal Garnishment Prevention Act, which would end the promotion of direct deposit for Social Security and veterans’ checks until the Treasury Department institutes new regulations to protect consumers. These rules would prevent banks from enforcing collection orders on accounts with protected benefits so that these funds cannot be illegally seized.

Seniors are often targeted for fraud through the mail or over the phone – where seniors may be more inclined to trust a salesperson. In fact, in 2007 alone, postal inspectors investigated nearly 3,000 mail fraud cases in the U.S. and arrested more than 1,200 mail fraud suspects. And as more seniors use e-mail and the Internet, criminals are preying on seniors online as well – using “phishing,” e-mail spamming, and other Internet tactics to lure seniors into fraudulent investments. To stop abusive mail, telemarketing and Internet fraud against seniors, Senator Gillibrand introduced the Senior Financial Empowerment Act, which would raise awareness of these predatory tactics and help bring them to an end.