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Just Released!
View the new 3 minute The Voice of Women
video on OWL's website.
To watch the video, click the promotion link near the top of OWL's website. If you have trouble viewing the link, you can also access the video via YouTube.
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Nominations Sought for Generations United Awards
Generations United seeks nominations/submissions for individual and organizations that make significant contributions towards rethinking and revitalizing intergenerational connections.
For more information, visit their website.
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Check Out Roosevelt Institute's new website, Think2040, aimed at
helping move young people from general interest in political issues to action on specific policy projects.
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Quote of the Month:
"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong -- because someday you will have been all of these."
-George Washington Carver, US horticulturist (1864-1943)
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Join Us for a Social Security
Hill Briefing on March 3rd
OWL is co-sponsoring a panel discussion hosted by Generations United entitled:
Social Security: What's at Stake for Children, Youth, and Grandfamilies
Thursday, March 3rd at 2:00 pm
2168 Rayburn Bldg. (Gold Room)
Washington, DC 20515
Panelists include Virginia Reno, Vice-President for Income Security, National Academy of Social Insurance; Christine James-Brown, President and CEO of the Child Welfare League of America; Board Chair of Generations United William L. Minnix, President and CEO of Leading Age; and Morrisella Middleton, a grandparent raising her grandchild, Shane Morrell.
The discussion will focus on how Social Security benefits children and has protected families and policy recommendations that legislators could implement to sustain this important program for future generations. You can RSVP on Generation United's website or contact Melissa Ness from Generations United at mness@gu.org for more information.
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Did your pre-existing condition prevent you from obtaining health insurance? Are you a Medicare beneficiary who found herself in the prescription drug "donut hole?" Are you without health insurance coverage at your workplace? Did your insurance company have an annual or lifetime cap on coverage?
If your answer is "Yes" to any of these questions, OWL wants to hear from you.
OWL's 2011 Mother's Day Report will explain what the Affordable Care Act means for midlife and older women. We want to include personal stories of women who have, or will benefit from ACA. Please send us your story in 300 words or less and we may publish it within our report.
Send your story to Dianna Porter at:
porterdianna@hotmail.com
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Programs for Low Income Seniors Cut in President's Budget
In President Obama's FY12 budget announced February 14th, programs like the Senior Community Service Employment Program would be drastically cut. This program, which provides much needed job training and employment opportunities to the nation's low income seniors, would receive a 45% cut. The cut would result in the loss of over 55,000 part time jobs.
The loss of this program would likely be most devastating to adults aged 55-64 who cannot yet claim Social Security benefits. Older workers are most likely (compared to other age groups) to face long-term unemployment. This is particularly true for older workers of color.
Yet, President Obama's budget did include one piece of good news for older Americans. The budget included a continued commitment to providing assistance for family caregivers under the Older Americans Act.
Read more about how President Obama's budget would affect seniors here.
Senator Barbara Boxer Signs On to Repeal the "Widow's Tax"
Recently Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) joined Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) in introducing a bill called S.260 which would repeal an existing requirement that prevents widows and widowers of service men and women from receiving their full benefits.
Surviving spouses of service members who die from a service-related injury are entitled to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), a monthly tax-free cash payment from the Department of Veterans Affairs. These individuals may also receive benefits under the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), a program in which military retirees have premiums deducted from their monthly retirement pay so that their survivors can receive a monthly payment after their death.
If the survivor of a military retiree is eligible for both programs, the SBP payment is currently reduced dollar for dollar by the DIC amount - a penalty commonly known as the "widow's tax."
Senator Boxer and Senator Nelson's bill would repeal the widow's tax so survivors of military retirees would receive all of their rightful benefits.
Act Now!
Read S.260 in its entirety here.
Find your Senator's contact information here and tell him/her to:
SUPPORT S.260 AND REPEAL THE WIDOW'S TAX!
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Leisure is Necessary to Maintain Good Health
According to Dr. E. Christine Moll, a professional counselor and professor of counseling and human services at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, leisure is as important to a person's health as getting regular exercise. Whether it be doing a crossword puzzle or playing a pick-up game of basketball, leisure is necessary to maintain mental and physical health.
"It airs out our brain. It renews our spirit. It gives us clarity of thought. It's a benefit to our blood pressure. It gives us life satisfaction. For all the dimensions of our lives: our physical, mental, spiritual and cognitive health. Leisure time should be a necessity not a luxury."
According to Moll, Baby Boomers are the biggest culprits of the all-work-no-play lifestyle. "This generation really...thinks nothing of putting in long hours or forgoing vacations for only long weekends. They often find it hard to put the breaks on, catch their breath and relax," she says.
Leisure time can also be especially helpful to older adults. Without the responsibilities of a job, many people feel lost at this stage of life. But, for retirees, leisure can help provide structure to what appears to be an unstructured day. "It keeps them more mentally aware, emotionally connected and physically capable. Their pastimes give them a sense of independence and competency, even as they may be losing some of their other skills," Moll says.
Read more about the importance of leisure time here.
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