Why did NSCLC change its name to Justice in Aging?

As income inequality increases and the population ages, senior poverty is a growing problem that will affect more and more families. We need more allies in our efforts to combat this trend. Our name change is part of a larger strategic process that will help us engage more people and organizations in our mission. A new name and tagline that is easier to say and remember, more modern, and more reflective of the work we’ve always done will help us strengthen current partnerships and develop new ones. (more…)

Wed., March 4, 2015 2 – 3 PM PDT

The California Coordinated Care Initiative: What Advocates Need to Know – Santa Clara County

This blog first appeared on Talk Poverty and was re-posted by Bill Moyers & Company.

Imagine the face of senior poverty. Who do you see? If you see a woman, especially a woman of color, you’d be spot on. That’s because the same challenges that affect women in their younger years, follow them and magnify as they age—income inequality, low wage jobs, discrimination, societal expectations of women as caregivers, lack of financial education. When you add declining health, longevity as compared to male partners, racial disparities, and disability to the mix, the result is a full-blown crisis of illness, hunger, depression, and isolation. (more…)

This blog originally appeared on the Huffington Post.

During this season of Jack Frost at the window and fires in the hearth, it’s time we sharpen our focus on the seniors who could be, quite literally, left in the cold. The challenges of navigating the winter months as a low-income senior are immense. For 6.3 million older adults in the United States, wintertime stretches the term “fixed income” into a reality of fixed poverty. For increasing numbers of seniors who face the multifaceted vulnerabilities of poverty even during the sunniest of days, the winter can cost more than many can afford.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts the U.S. average expense to heat a home with natural gas this winter to be $642 ($107/mo). For homes using electricity for heat, the average expense rises to $949 ($158/mo). For most low-income seniors, this added expense means a choice of less food or other necessities, or a dangerously cold living space. The aging homeless are particularly vulnerable in winter with a greater susceptibility to hypothermia and frostbite — half of the people who die in the U.S. from hypothermia each year are 65 or older, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (more…)

This December Fact Sheet provides a full explanation of newly-released guidance of states’ obligations under the ADA and Olmstead by The U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights, along with other advocate strategies and resources.

Washington, DC—Justice in Aging Senior Staff Attorney Kate Lang testified today before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee regarding the importance of preserving Social Security disability benefits. Lang is also co-chair of the Income Security Committee of the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (LCAO). The LCAO is a coalition of 72 national organizations representing millions of older adults. (more…)

Oakland, CA—A class action lawsuit was filed today in federal district court in San Francisco against the Social Security Administration (SSA) by three plaintiffs who were deprived of disability benefits because of SSA’s continued reliance on medical reports from a doctor who has been disqualified. The grossly deficient reports were based on cursory examinations (often lasting ten minutes or less), referenced tests that were never performed, and were inconsistent with plaintiffs’ medical records. On the basis of these faulty reports, plaintiffs who were no longer able to work were denied Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, essential to their well-being.

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