Policy-Makers Look to Social Security Minimum Benefit to Ease Poverty

As the current Policy Director and Chief of Staff for Colorado State Representative Jovan Melton, Denver native Michele Fry served as a key legislative liaison and a spokesperson to constituents. Michele Fry is additionally a strong supporter of the rights of working families, and as a community activist remains focused on issues involving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare. Michele Fry serves on the Statewide Board for Colorado Working Families, and organization originally founded in New York over 20 years ago.

Social Security benefits - today on average $1,400 per month for an individual retiree - have successfully kept generations of people out of poverty after retirement. And, although struggling, the program continues to help retirees keep up with basic living expenses.

A March 7, 2019 article published in USA Today echoes much current progressive thinking by stating that this coverage does not go far enough. Experts note that today it is possible to retire after decades of full-time employment and still live in poverty. Much recent legislative discussion at the federal level has therefore focused on reinvigorating the minimum benefit provision to the Social Security program to ensure that more people are eligible.

Since many low-wage workers will not accrue enough “credits” over their working lives to earn full Social Security benefits, the special minimum benefit method uses a person’s years of coverage to calculate a minimum Social Security payment, rather than basing the figure on the individual’s dollar earnings.

Proponents say that expanding access to higher Social Security payments in this way will assist more lower-income people in staying above the poverty level.