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divine1966 · Dec 10, 2023 at 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nonightowl

I didn't read it, as I know I'm not old enough anyway. Yeah they want you to wait till you're a certain age to get the maximum benefit, but what if you need it sooner to LIVE???!!!

The government lives in a different world. I know my benefit will MEASLY, and part of your benefit is based on your earnings. So if you had low earnings or periods of unemployment, your benefit is even lower.

Currently you have to be 62 at least, last I heard. If they keep increasing the age I'm screwed. I didn't know we have fewer young people working. Is that because of a decline in births?

I didn't know about that. I thought they were decreasing the age to be eligible, because I don't recall it being 62 in the past. It was 65 I think.

Also, I think it depends on what year you were born.

I've been thinking of eugenics lately. It seems they want to make it harder for disabled, poor, and older folks to survive. I know GOP wants to get rid of Medicare and SS. How are people to survive? They want you to work, but all these jobs they tout are too physically demanding for many older people. They expect you to have something else, like a company pension. Companies don't do that now; they want you to have a 401(k) and be on your own. Thanks to world conditions and COVID, my 401(k) has lost money.

Employers demand volatile hours and ability to walk/stand for hours and lift 70 lbs. I can't do that. They make it hard to even qualify for disability, as they have their arbitrary list of conditions you have to have. And they demand proof. Reject most people, then they have to appeal. I heard all this from reliable sources: People who have applied and finally got it. I even talked to a veteran who told me because he gets disability, he doesn't get certain VA benefits. They are requiring documents he doesn't have. He's been on hold for HOURS to talk to someone, only to be told to call this other number.

One can have undiagnosed conditions, but one has to go to multiple doctors to see if it's so. And how to pay for it? What if that visit isn't covered and considered "medically unnecessary"?

I don't know where this arbitrary age of 65 comes from, but it makes me want to vomit. Even for this new RSV, those age 65 and older are at risk. If you're 64 you're in the clear.

I HATE the number 65 now. For many years, I was told I had to be 55 for various "senior" things. Then after that, I had to be 60 or 62. I have to be 62 to get a bus fare discount. (I'm 61) 65 for Medicare. Retailers like Ross give those 55 and older a discount but I don't have any money to spend. When I reach 65, they will tell me I have to be 70. Then 75, then 100.

The "Friendship Line' during COVID lockdowns said I had to be 60 and older to be eligible or "entitled" to feel lonely. Or disabled.

I agree that one should get the amount they had when working, but that will never happen. When I was at a big company with a lot of benefits in the 90's, we had private disability as a benefit. Everyone was covered. You'd get 60% of your earnings, way more than the government gives.

If they do away with these programs, we'll have even more tents out there. Not everybody has FAMILY or FRIENDS.

Yeah, on my soapbox again.

I don’t think they increasing the age because fewer younger people work. People live longer. So if in the past person lived 5 years after retirement (just an example), they now live maybe 20. So social security has to last longer