NRTA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

APRIL 5, 2008

Update on Economic Stimulus

 In March, more than 130 million American households began receiving IRS letters giving them general information about the economic stimulus payments. The letters will also advise Americans that to receive a 2008 stimulus payment, all they have to do is file a 2007 tax return.

Taxpayers who already file using a 1040 Form to comply with the April 15 filing deadline do not need to do anything extra to receive their one-time economic stimulus payment.  A separate IRS mailing will go out in late March to people who no longer file tax returns—certain recipients of Social Security and veterans disability benefits—explaining what they will need to do to receive their one-time economic stimulus payment and providing the necessary guidance and forms.

There is plenty of time to get help and apply for the payment. April 15 is NOT the deadline for those who no longer file tax returns. The deadline for the economic stimulus payment form will likely be sometime in the fall of 2008.

AARP and NCOA Launch New Resource as Part of Stimulus Payment Education Campaign

 The AARP Foundation and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) launched a user-friendly online tool to simplify the economic stimulus payment application process for millions of Americans who are not otherwise required to file income tax returns. The online tool can be found at www.aarp.org/stimulus.

The online tool, developed with expertise from AARP Tax Aide (an AARP Foundation tax assistance and preparation program offered in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service), is the latest effort in AARP’s campaign to help older Americans learn how to apply for stimulus payments and protect themselves from fraud.

How You Can Help:  Please remind all family, friends and community members that, in order to receive the economic stimulus payment, they must file a tax return.  Consider assisting those who don’t ordinarily file a tax return, or who may be uneasy with online tools, by helping them access the new AARP online tool (www.aarp.org/stimulus) which makes it easy to file a return.

AARP ‘Deeply Disappointed’ by Supreme Court Decision on Retiree Health Care Benefits

 Last week, the Supreme Court declined AARP’s request to review a federal rule allowing employers to reduce or eliminate health benefits for retirees when they reach 65 and become eligible for Medicare. On December 26, 2007, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published a rule allowing employers to reduce or eliminate retiree health benefits when retirees become eligible for Medicare or similar state benefits.  The rule exempts retiree health benefits from the non-discrimination requirements of the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).  More than 12 million Medicare beneficiaries currently receive retiree health benefits from their employer and may be affected by the rule. 

The following is a statement by AARP Legislative Policy Director David Certner.  “AARP is deeply disappointed by the Court’s decision. The Court’s action clears the way for employers to discriminate by reducing or terminating benefits for older retirees simply because they’ve turned 65 years old.  This double standard, one tier of coverage for those under 65, and another lower tier for those 65 and over, is especially troubling because it comes from the EEOC, the federal government agency created to enforce anti-discrimination policies.”

AARP Works to Enhance Consumer Access as Digital Television Conversion is Less Than a Year Away

A change is coming to television service next February - the digital television (DTV) transition - and AARP is working to prepare our members and the public.  State offices recently received suggestions as to how they can help spread the word, and information has been posted on the Federal Communications Commission’s website for the Digital TV Transition: http://www.dtv.gov/.

AARP Backs Federal, State Falls Prevention Legislation

The U.S. House of Representatives is likely to vote soon on AARP-backed legislation that will direct the secretary of Health and Human Services to support research and develop strategies designed to reduce the incidence of falls. We expect the bill to pass. Falls take an enormous human and financial toll; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects that direct treatment costs from elder falls will escalate to $43.8 billion annually by 2020.

On March 13, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved H.R. 3701 (http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:1:./temp/~c110OTO53r::), a bipartisan bill introduced by Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Ralph Hall (R-TX). The Senate last year passed its version, S. 845 (http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:1:./temp/~c110eKskAp::), the Safety of Seniors (SOS) Act of 2007, introduced by Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) and co-sponsored by Sens. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Herb Kohl (D-WI). These bills would direct the secretary of Health and Human Services to support research and develop strategies designed to reduce the incidence of falls.