Older Americans Month 2015 – Helping older Americans get into the act

Older Americans Month 2015 – Helping older Americans get into the act

May 1 marked the start of Older Americans Month, a time when the aging services community highlights the country’s older Americans and the programs that serve them. Sponsored by the Administration for Community Living, the theme for this year’s Older Americans Month is “Get into the Act.” In my position as Digital and Outreach Director here at the Center, I’ve seen countless older Americans doing just that.

Whether retirees are calling us to learn more about a new law that impacts their finances or they are asking us for legal advice because they want to make sure they’re getting the benefits they earned, they are taking charge of their retirement security – they are getting into the act.

Thanks to support from ACL, older Americans in 30 states receive help getting into the act from the Pension Counseling and Information Program. Since it started in 1993, the program has served more than 52,000 people and recovered a whopping $206 million in retirement benefits for a nearly 9-to-1 return on federal investment. 

Just one look at our website shows what we at the Center are doing to help. Our fact sheets explain complex pension laws, and identify issues and practices consumers should watch out for.

And our Retirement Roadmap offers a collection of links to resources that consumers can use to get the information they need about the rules regulating their retirement plans during important times in their working lives. The links are organized by stages of employment – when an employee starts a job, begins participating in a retirement plan – and covers important changes in status such as marriage, divorce, and retirement.  

Throughout the month we’ll highlight on our website activities that the Center has taken to help older Americans get into the act. 

Happy Older Americans Month!