Robert Menendez

Our seniors have given so much to our communities, and it is our duty to help them thrive in retirement. I have made it a priority throughout my career in public service to help ensure that Social Security will be there to provide the retirement security they’ve earned and deserve and to provide access to affordable, quality health care, including comprehensive prescription drug coverage and support for their family caregivers.

The retirement of the baby boomers, increased life expectancy, and the rising cost of medical care are projected to place additional demands on tremendously successful programs like Social Security and Medicare, and we should address the challenge in a responsible, bipartisan way. By working together now, we can ensure that seniors well into the future are afforded the health care, the drug benefits, and the retirement protection they deserve.

Highlights

• Fought Social Security privatization -- As member of House of Representatives leadership, led the fight that overcame the 2005 effort to privatize Social Security.

• Property tax relief -- Authored property tax relief legislation in 2006, which eventually was enacted into law in 2008. This benefits homeowners who do not itemize on their Federal tax returns -- that population is largely made up of seniors on a fixed income. Under the law, single-filing property taxpayers will be able to take an additional standard deduction of $500 and joint filers will be able to deduct $1,000 for state and local property taxes paid. According to the New Jersey Department of Taxation, nearly 600,000 New Jersey residents benefit from the initiative.

• Caregiver assistance --Author of the Caregiver Assistance and Relief Effort (CARE) Act, which would help families afford the cost of caring for ailing family members or loved ones by making long-term care more affordable. The legislation would provide tax credits to those caregivers; encourage individuals to plan for and invest in their own long-term care by offering a tax deduction for long-term care insurance; and increase funding for the existing National Family Caregiver Support Program, which supports a wide range of important services for seniors.