The Senior Citizens League, a nonpartisan senior citizens advocacy group, has started a petition online pushing for an additional $1,400 check for senior citizens. The petition now has over one million signatures.
The Petition
The petition, to urge Congress to allow for an additional $1,400 stimulus check for Social Security benefits to help Americans “cope during this unprecedented inflationary years,” can be found here: https://seniorsleague.salsalabs.org/emergencystimulus/index.html.
It noted that although Social Security benefits are one of the few types of income in retirement and adjusted yearly for inflation, the soaring prices for grocery items, services, and the like have “taken a toll on the household finances of retired and disabled” Social Security beneficiaries.
The petition further states, “In 2021, Social Security benefits increased by just 1.3 percent raising the average benefit by only about $20 a month. But about 86 percent of Social Security recipients surveyed say their expenses increased by much more than that amount.”
The Projected Increase In Social Security Benefits This 2022
The petition is being pushed despite the six percent projected bump in the Social Security benefits by 2022. Accordingly, for the past 13 months, there has been a five percent inflation surge experienced by many.
One of the sectors that experienced the greatest increase in prices is the meat industry. For chicken, the prices increased 7.2 percent, for pork, the prices increased nine percent, and for ground beef, the prices increased 13 percent. The increase in prices is in comparison with the prices last year.
How The $1,400 Additional Stimulus Check Can Help Senior Citizens
The additional $1,400 stimulus check asked by The Senior Citizens League will help senior citizens afford groceries as most are already on a tight and fixed income. According to research by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), 25 percent of low-income senior citizens reported food insecurity.
Also Read: Social Security Increase Will Be Finalized Next Month – Biggest COLA Bump In 13 Years
