John Shaw: “On behalf of AARP and its 35 million members, I wish to commend you and Representative Matsui for introducing H.R. 743…”

“On behalf of AARP and its 35 million members, I wish to commend you and Representative Matsui for introducing H.R. 743, the ``Social Security Program Protection Act of 2003.'' This comprehensive legislation is important to claimants, beneficiaries and the overall Social Security program. We are pleased that the legislation would protect beneficiaries against abuses by representative payees. For many years, AARP recruited volunteers as representative payees so that Social Security beneficiaries who needed a representative payee but could not find one would not lose any benefits. These programs were quite successful but were limited in scope. AARP has had a longstanding interest in curbing deceptive mailings targeted at older Americans. This legislation builds upon prior legislation and could discourage other mailers from scaring older people about their Social Security and Medicare benefits. The legislation would strengthen the Ticket to Work Act and conduct pilot projects to improve work incentives for those with a disability. These changes would send a strong signal that our society values the contributions of all its citizens.”