AARP Eye Center
Search
Federal, state, and local laws should strengthen protections for workers in terms of wages, hours, safety, and other features of employment.
In addition to Social Security and Medicare, employers are required to participate in two forms of insurance to protect their workers. One is the joint federal-state unemployment insurance system.
Policymakers should explore new and innovative approaches to address unemployment.
Workers should be eligible for full workers’ compensation or unemployment benefits regardless of age and other sources of income, such as pensions.
Older workers may choose to or need to continue working. However, they face discrimination based on age, especially in layoffs and hiring.
Policymakers should explore new, more consumer-centered systems for providing low-income assistance.
Congress and state legislatures should ensure that all lawfully present non-citizen residents who qualify for essential low-income benefits have access to them.
Asset limits for public-benefit programs should be increased to ensure that they do not discourage saving. These limits should then be indexed to keep up with inflation.
The federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program provides monthly cash benefits to people age 65 or older with very low income and assets, individuals who are blind, or people with disabiliti