2007-2008 Legislative Agenda
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-03-23 12:33:53.704596-05:00
2007-2008 Legislative Agenda
Every two years the AARP Virgin Islands Executive Council (EC) develops a Legislative Agenda that aligns the AARP national agenda with legislative priorities at the state level. The EC, which is the group of volunteers responsible for drafting the strategic direction for AARP Virgin Islands, takes into account feedback and comments from our members, community residents, surveys, information from partner organizations, town meetings and legislative hearings.
The following represents key issues which AARP VI has identified as priorities for our 2007-2008 Legislative Agenda.
Economic Security
Social Security Offset
While Social Security forms a key pillar in the financial package sustaining the disabled or the aged, it is not, and never was intended to be, the sole means of economic support. Many who opt to receive Social Security still seek full or part-time employment out of genuine financial need. More and more older people on Social Security, and VI government pensions, find their income inadequate and are returning to work. If they lose their job through no fault of their own their employment benefits may be drastically reduced.
In the event that these individuals lose their job through no fault of their own, (layoff) the current VI statute (Title 24, Section 12, subsection 304 (c ) 2 (d)) states that any money received from the Department of Labor for Unemployment must be off-set by the money received from "a governmental or other pension, retirement or retired pay, annuity or any other similar periodic payment".
In other words, because the affected individual receives a VI government or Social Security check, any unemployment benefits must be "reduced by an amount equal to the amount of the pension". This means that the individual receives no unemployment benefit because their check would be reduced by the amount of their pension check.
You may ask where AARP Virgin Islands stands on this issue
AARP views this policy as unenlightened. It penalizes individuals who wish to remain productive and continue to receive earnings from employment beyond the time when most Americans are retired. These people have earned their Social Security retirement benefit based on their past work experience. They have also earned the right to receive unemployment compensation when they are laid off from their supplemental employment due to employer difficulties or economic recession.
The cost of eliminating this offset would be relatively small. Perhaps more important, however, is that our Virgin Islands law makes little sense in the context of an aging population and aging workforce, and significant changes in how long we work and how we pay for retirement. This offset must be eliminated.
Government Employees Retirement System (GERS)
The Virgin Islands Government Employees Retirement System (GERS) functions as the source of retirement income for more than 9,000 former Virgin Islands government employees. Established on October 1, 1959, by Chapter 27, Title 3, Section 715 of the Virgin Islands Code, the GERS administers a defined pension plan for career government employees. While both legislative and public discussion over the last two years culminated December 2006 in Act 6905, a law that authorizes up to $600 million for a Pension Funding Bond, GERS continues to have difficulties with solvency.
Due to the high degree of public controversy surrounding the bill, there remains the possibility that actions may yet be taken which may impact the power and the scope of what Act 6905 contains. If such action materializes, GERS may return to its extremely precarious financial situation.
You may ask where AARP Virgin Islands stands on this issue
AARP VI remains committed to acting as the watchdog for the pensions of the majority of our 19,000+ current members and the 10,000+ future GERS retirees by continuing to closely monitor all activities associated with the GERS to ascertain:
- Positive or negative events related to all GERS investments
- Actions involving the unfunded liability's status
- Any actions or changes to administrative policies that impacts how annuitants relate or interact with the system
Health and Supportive Services
Mandatory Health Insurance
The healthcare industry in the territory is dire need of reform. Among the items that must be considered is universal health insurance. Currently, approximately 28 percent of the employed population has NO health insurance coverage. Added to this number are those who have no health insurance and no job. Lacking coverage, these two groups generally wait until a threatening crisis occurs before they seek medical intervention. The delay in obtaining care produces emergency hospital visits that are far more serious and costly.
Conversations among policy makers must begin today to address these basic gaps in the healthcare services provided in the VI. Policies must be created that will pro-actively provide preventative services aimed at keeping the population healthier while simultaneously reducing the cost of acute care.
You may ask where AARP Virgin Islands stands on this issue
AARP believes strongly that individuals have a right to affordable health care services and has long advocated for comprehensive health care reforms that move toward universal coverage. We hope to re-establish the dialogue on this important topic so that the number of uninsured in the territory can be drastically reduced.
VI Focus on Aging
Huge gaps currently exist in the VI's delivery of services to seniors. While the Department of Human Services (DHS), through its divisions related to Senior Services, actively offers a wide spectrum of services to seniors and disabled adults, their main focus is that of providing the service. They are not in the position to also monitor and evaluate the quality of that service, identify deficiencies and gaps and collect data related to service provision. Therefore, our ability to recognize trends in our service delivery system may be seriously lacking.
Like other jurisdictions across the country, our elder population shares many of the same vulnerabilities, concerns and needs. It therefore stands to reason that the creation of a Council on Aging with authority to establish a hotline for people to call and voice problems, issues, and concerns, will serve in an intermediary role. This will provide the DHS an avenue of documenting the outcomes on issues reported by the public. This will also be an excellent mechanism to identify potential gaps in services, and simultaneously publicize improvements that have a direct impact on the quality of life for seniors.
You may ask where AARP Virgin Islands stands on this issue
As the lead advocacy agency for territorial seniors, AARP Virgin Islands wants people over the age of 50 to age with dignity and enjoy the best quality of life their community can provide. A Council should be in place with the appropriate legal jurisdiction and oversight authority to enforce current statutes, ensure that services are provided appropriately and conduct the necessary research, evaluation, and data collection to demonstrate the future service needs of this growing population.
Livable Communities
Anti-Discrimination in Virgin Islands Law
Amendments to the Virgin Islands Legislation for Persons with Disabilities
All people regardless of age, race, religious beliefs, gender, geographic origin, and political beliefs have the right not to be discriminated against under title 10, sections 61 to 64 of the Virgin Islands Code. Regrettably, the original writers of this legislation wholly omitted similar reference sections to extend equal protection to persons with physical or mental disabilities.
One way the disabled population is discriminated against in the Virgin Islands is through physical access. Whether it be a non-existent ramp at their favorite restaurant, an inaccessible government building, or a person who simply does not want to be troubled by persons with disabilities, disabled people in the Virgin islands face daily complications that most non-disabled persons never have to contemplate.
Inclusion of a legal mandate that ensured that the rights of the disabled population be respected would achieve a great deal. Such a mandate would ensure that persons with disabilities would receive fair and equitable treatment in the workplace as well as within all public facilities.
You may ask where AARP Virgin Islands stands on this issue
AARP believes that the ability to navigate one's community, whether disabled or not, is a critical component in one's ability to age with dignity and independence. To that end, AARP supports strengthening laws that will protect individuals from discrimination based on disability and opposes any administrative or executive action, legislation or judicial interpretation that would weaken Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Rehabilitation Act protections.
VI Mobility Options
Driver Safety Program
While statistics show that a majority of individuals between ages 50 and 74 continue to drive their automobiles, those statistics drop drastically after age 75. National surveys also show that people age 75+ who stop driving are six times more likely to not do something they would normally have participated in if they had transportation. The potential result is isolation from people as well as less involvement in community issues and events.
To keep driving skills updated and fresh among the 50 to 75 age bracket, AARP has developed a National Driver Safety Course that helps drivers adapt and focus on changes. The course helps participants to examine their vision, hearing, the effects of medications, their reaction times, basic driving rules and hazardous driving skills so that they are better prepared for daily road challenges.
You may ask where AARP Virgin Islands stands on this issue
Many states across the nation reward drivers who take such courses with auto insurance premium discounts and the VI should offer these drivers no less. Local policy makers should be encouraged to pass legislation that would do the same for those in the territory who make the extra effort to participate and pass a drivers' safety course.
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