Senior Citizens

In Congress, I believe what we stand for as Americans can best be seen as direct reflection of how we care for our seniors. Will we protect the safety net we’ve built for you or choose to cut deep holes in it? You’ve worked hard for decades, some of you have served your country in uniform. You deserve to spend your retirement in good physical and fiscal health, and in Congress, we have to work together to make that a reality.

LATEST NEWS: Medicare Open Enrollment Season is upon us! If you or someone you know has Medicare coverage, the period to make changes to your plan runs from October 15 - December 7. If you have questions, please feel free to call my office at 773-267-5926, or visit the Illinois Department on Aging Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) website by clicking here.  

Social Security

What I’m doing in DC: Social Security is the most successful and popular anti-poverty legislation of the post-war era, and Congress has a responsibility to strengthen and preserve its vitality for generations to come. Social Security provides economic certainty within a system that is fair, equitable and easy to understand: pay into the system, and we make a PROMISE as a federal government to have it there when you retire.

With more than half of the American workforce without private pension coverage, nearly two thirds of seniors rely on Social Security for 90 percent or more of their monthly income. This is also about how future retirees (YOUR children and grandchildren) as much as it’s about those of you using it now. We owe it to them to secure its future solvency.

I’m proud to support the Strengthening Social Security Act (HR 3118) to improve the short-term and long-term health of Social Security by changing the benefit calculation formula the SS Administration uses, which would increase benefits for all Social Security beneficiaries by approximately $70 per month.

How I can help you in Chicago: Do you want to know if you qualify for disability and SSI? Use Social Security's Screening Tool (BEST) to check.

Get your free personal online “My Social Security Account” today! You probably plan to receive Social Security benefits someday. Maybe you already do. Either way, you’ll want a “My Social Security Account” to:

• Keep track of your earnings and verify them every year;
• Get an estimate of your future benefits if you are still working;
• Get a letter with proof of your benefits if you currently receive them; and
• Much more!

Do you have other general questions about social security services and benefits? Find an answer on the Social Security Administration's Answers to Your Questions page.

You can also find your local office on the Social Security locator site.

Medicare

What I’m doing in DC: With the Affordable Care Act now fully in effect, Americans can never again be discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition or be sold health insurance policies that disappear when they need coverage most. Before the ACA, 6,300 seniors in Illinois’ 5th district fell into the Medicare donut hole, resulting in massive prescription bills. The law now provides them with a 50 percent discount on brand name medications, which totals a savings of $9.7 million so far. Over the next decade, this unfortunate coverage gap will be completely phased out. 

ACA also authorizes Medicare to provide annual check-ups and many routine screenings (including lifesaving mammograms and colonoscopies) to patients free of charge without the Part B coinsurance or deductible. Before reform, some services could have a co-pay as high as $160. Last year, 37.2 million people with Medicare received at least one free preventive service. It also increases payments to primary care doctors and general surgeons who treat Medicare patients, a provision aimed at preserving seniors' access to quality care.

How I can help you in Chicago: Do you need information on how to apply for Medicare? Go to the Medicare Frequently Asked Questions page.

Other resources:

• Claims, Appeals Information, and Summary Notices
• Local Plans
• Medicare Eligibility Tool
• Medicare Home Page

Veteran's Benefits

As a veteran, you served our country, and now my office is here to serve you. In Washington, I’ve fought to help veterans gain employment after their service and protect service members from deceptive targeting by for-profit colleges. In Chicago, my District Office can assist in determining if you’re eligible for benefits, communicating with Veterans Affairs, replacing medals that you earned in service, or obtaining copies of important military documents.

For more information, please visit my Veteran’s page by clicking here.

Please contact my district office at 773-267-5926 with any questions or problems you may have with these vital programs.