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| Correcting Errant E-Mails |
Information From Congressman Trent Franks Office Regarding Errant E-Mail Floating Around: An email that is incorrect keeps re-circulating regarding the COLA increases going to fund electronic medical records rather than to people receiving SS. Again, I want to emphasize THAT IS NOT CORRECT! I thought I had sent out emails before to correct this misunderstanding. If I neglected to do so, I apologize! Anyway, please read the correct information below. Congress has nothing to do with Social Security cost-of-living increases. By law, COLA increases are tied to fluctuations in the Consumer Price Index, which has trended sharply downward over the past two years, hence no increases for 2010 and 2011. Second, while it's true that the Social Security Administration announced in 2009 that it would begin funding electronic medical records to improve the efficiency of its disability programs, those funds will not come from "savings to be generated from the withholding of cost of living increases" as claimed in the email, but rather from moneys apportioned by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Third, the electronic records program isn't "for our Congressmen and Senators" as claimed in the email, but rather for all Americans who receive disability benefits through Social Security.
