Hawaii 24/7

MEDIA RELEASE Sen. Brian Schatz has laid out a plan, along with Sen. Tom Harkin from Iowa, that will expand and enhance Social Security for Hawaii’s seniors and future generations. The Harkin-Schatz bill will enhance and add longevity to the Social Security program, increase benefits by about $65 per month, allow the real costs that […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Bob Marx says he believes Social Security is an essential program that America’s retiring population counts on for economic stability. Forty percent of Americans aged 65 or older depend on Social Security to keep them from slipping below the poverty line. Despite the essential nature of the program, funds for retirees are running […]

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MEDIA RELEASE Jacob and Sophia are America’s most popular baby names for 2011. This is the 13th year in a row Jacob tops our list for boys and the first year for Sophia, who knocks Isabella to number two after a two-year stint at the top of our list for girls. There is only one […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The following table shows the most frequent given names for male and female births in 2010 in Hawaii. The number to the right of each name is the number of occurrences in the data. The source is a 100 percent sample based on Social Security card application data. — Find out more: http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/index.html

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MEDIA RELEASE In a letter Thursday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a group of senators led by Sens. Jeff Merkley (OR) and Mary Landrieu (LA) pushed for an alternative tax cut agreement that strengthens Social Security rather than providing bonus tax cuts on income above $1 million. Other senators signing the letter include Sens. […]

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MEDIA RELEASE The Social Security Board of Trustees has released its annual report on the financial health of the Social Security Trust Funds and the long-range outlook remains unchanged. The combined assets of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Funds will be exhausted in 2037, the same as projected last year. […]

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MEDIA RELEASE A new effort to gather stories about the importance of Social Security in our society has been launched. The Social Security Stories Project is seeking story submissions from the public, with a goal of receiving 1,000 stories by the end of July. The stories will then be reviewed for possible inclusion in a […]

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Media releases compiled by Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7 Contributing Editor The numbers are in and it looks like Isabella and Ethan are the winners. Those are the most common baby names in Hawaii for 2009, according to the Social Security’s books. Hawaii’s top girls’ names and the total number for 2009: 1. Isabella (81) […]

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There’s a new queen of baby names. Isabella took the crown from last year’s winner, Emma, to claim the top girl baby name of 2009. Jacob continued his remarkable run by holding onto the top boy name for the 11th year in a row over a new number two for boys, Ethan.

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Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, has announced the number of disability hearings pending stands at 697,437 cases — the lowest level since June 2005 and down more than 71,000 cases since December 2008, when the trend of month-by-month reductions began. In addition, the average processing time for hearing decisions has decreased to 442 […]

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Social Security today launched a new campaign to inform millions of Americans about a new law that makes it easier to qualify for extra help with Medicare prescription drug costs. The extra help program currently provides assistance to more than nine million senior and disabled Americans — saving them an average of almost $4,000 a […]

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Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today asked the agency’s Inspector General to investigate allegations that the states of California and Hawaii have recently implemented practices that deny applicants the right to receive full consideration of their Social Security disability claims.

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The Social Security Administration has compiled a list of the top 10 male and female baby names registered for the year 2008 in the United States and separate states. Top 10 Names for 2008 Rank Male name Female name 1 Jacob Emma 2 Michael Isabella 3 Ethan Emily 4 Joshua Madison 5 Daniel Ava 6 […]

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