The Social Security Notch Issue
T-HRD-88-15: Published: Apr 22, 1988. Publicly Released: Apr 22, 1988.
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GAO discussed the social security benefits disparity, known as the notch, specifically: (1) how the notch arose; (2) how it affects beneficiaries; and (3) alternatives for financing legislation to address the problem. GAO found that: (1) Congress amended the Social Security Act in 1977 to alter the social security benefits computation formula; (2) under the new formula, retirees born in or after 1917 receive smaller benefit amounts than those born before then; (3) rapid inflation in the late 1970's and early 1980's caused the benefits of the pre-notch group to rise faster and widened the gap between the two groups' benefits; and (4) legislation to award higher benefits to the notch group would be costly and would affect both the short- and long-term status of the trust fund. GAO believes that Congress may wish to: (1) keep the effect of notch legislation on current and projected trust fund balances as neutral as possible; (2) evaluate the resources and time required to implement the legislation; and (3) retain the current 5-year transition period.
Jun 4, 2018
Central States Pension Fund:
Department of Labor Activities under the Consent Decree and Federal LawGAO-18-105: Published: Jun 4, 2018. Publicly Released: Jun 4, 2018.-
Central States Pension Fund:
Investment Policy Decisions and Challenges Facing the PlanGAO-18-106: Published: Jun 4, 2018. Publicly Released: Jun 4, 2018.
May 22, 2018
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Retirement Plan Investing:
Clearer Information on Consideration of Environmental Social and Governance Factors Would Be HelpfulGAO-18-398: Published: May 22, 2018. Publicly Released: May 22, 2018.
May 21, 2018
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Railroad Retirement Board:
Additional Controls and Oversight of Financial Interchange Transfers NeededGAO-18-323: Published: Apr 19, 2018. Publicly Released: May 21, 2018.
May 17, 2018
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Social Security Administration:
Observations on Use and Costs of Social Security CardsGAO-18-507T: Published: May 17, 2018. Publicly Released: May 17, 2018.
Mar 7, 2018
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Social Security Administration:
Continuing Leadership Focus Needed to Modernize How SSA Does BusinessGAO-18-432T: Published: Mar 7, 2018. Publicly Released: Mar 7, 2018.
Mar 5, 2018
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Workplace Retirement Accounts:
Better Guidance and Information Could Help Plan Participants at Home and Abroad Manage Their Retirement SavingsGAO-18-19: Published: Jan 31, 2018. Publicly Released: Mar 5, 2018.
Feb 21, 2018
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Railroad Retirement Board:
Actions Needed to Improve the Effectiveness and Oversight of Continuing Disability ReviewsGAO-18-287: Published: Feb 21, 2018. Publicly Released: Feb 21, 2018.
Jan 8, 2018
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Social Security Disability:
Additional Measures and Evaluation Needed to Enhance Accuracy and Consistency of Hearings DecisionsGAO-18-37: Published: Dec 7, 2017. Publicly Released: Jan 8, 2018.
Oct 18, 2017
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The Nation's Retirement System:
A Comprehensive Re-evaluation Is Needed to Better Promote Future Retirement SecurityGAO-18-111SP: Published: Oct 18, 2017. Publicly Released: Oct 18, 2017.
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