Administration on Aging Funds Projects to Help Seniors Protect Pensions
Department of Health and Human Services Awards $787,500 in Grants
The HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging is Josefina G Carbonell. The Press Release further quotes Carbonell as saying that "...our pension counseling projects are continuing to help older individuals become better educated about their pension rights and to remain independent in their own homes and communities." The Assistant Secretary for Aging goes on to say, "By promoting the financial security of older people, we empower them to make better choices in planning for their own long-term care."
The five regional organizations and projects are: Elder Law of Michigan Inc. (the Mid-America Pension Rights Project), Legal Services (NY) for the Elderly (Mid-Atlantic Pension Counseling Project), Legal Services of Northern California Pension Counseling and Information Project), Minnesota Senior Federation (Upper Midwest Pension Rights Project), and the University of Massachusetts Boston(New England Pension Assistance Project).
The states that will get the grants are Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, California, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The Administration on Aging provides pension counseling which includes direct legal assistance for older Americans who are trying to claim a pension or locate a pension that has been lost because of mergers and other company relocations. The first funded pension counseling project was in 1993 and it was so successful that Congress established pension counseling as a permanent in 2000. More than 30,000 older Americans have been assisted and more than $70 million in pension funds recovered.
For more information, the AoA's website is www.aoa.gov/prof/aoaprog/pensioncounseling/pencounseling.asp
Another site which older Americans who need help with pensions may find helpful is the Pension Rights Center. It was founded in 1976 and is the nation's only consumer organization set up for the protection of the American worker's retirement funds.According to their website they provide help to those who are dealing with complex pension laws and policies
Their website is: www.pensionrights.org/about.html
Published by Elena H
Experienced Web Writer, Voracious Reader, Christian, Happily Married Wife for 46 yrs, Proud Mom of 2 Adult Sons, Mimi to 3 Wonderful Granddaughters, Great Mother-in-Law, Care-taker of Elderly Mom View profile
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16 Comments
Post a CommentRe: some of the comments about the program itself-I have not formed an opinion about whether the program is good or bad-I just found the Press Release and reported onit-However, on of the benefits stated in the article and in the Press Release is that this program helps seniors who have pensions and lost them through company "shenanigans"locate them and get them back. That is a great benefit to low income seniors who cannot afford a lawyer.
Sorry, but I think this program and the grants are ridiculous. Take that money and actually use it to help with food, shelter, medical. I agree with Carol, the education should be at a younger age, not in the senior years when it is too late and they need financial help to just survive.
As someone who earned his pension in Iowa and is spending it in Minnesota, I was glad to see both of those states listed as grant recipients.
very informative!! Nicely written too! Thanks
Great job, Elena! :>) You're on a roll now!!
P.S. The article is great- I didn't mean for my first line to sound like I was saying anything bad about your article. I was talking about the program.
This is good, I guess, but it should be part of every young person's education to learn about pensions and retirement savings. A little late once you're already retired.
God has blessed you with the talent to share. Thank you fer sharin'. ;-}}>
Great information. I am going to email this to my dad. Thanks
A very interesting and well-written account...keep up the great work!