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Policies and regulations should prioritize placing children in foster care with grandparents and other caregiver relatives whenever possible and appropriate.
Federal and state programs help many older people with low incomes. These programs provide access to vital services like income support and health care.
Public-benefit programs should ensure that families headed by grandparents and other caregiver relatives receive sufficient support for economic security and well-being.
Two federal programs help states provide a broad range of social services important to older adults.
Social Security benefits are paid through a self-financing system.
Social Security program administration has multiple functions. It processes applications and payments and operates field offices around the country.
Congress should allocate sufficient funding to strengthen the administrative capacity of the Social Security Administration (SSA) to better meet the needs of applicants and beneficiaries.
Some proposals to address Social Security solvency would adjust the calculation of initial benefits. Others adjust benefit growth over time.
Social Security benefits are calculated as a percentage of lifetime average earnings. Policymakers consider two factors when establishing the calculation of lifetime average earnings.
The number of years used to calculate benefits should not be increased beyond the 35 years designated in current law.