“Know Your Rights” Informs LGBT Community of Their New Benefits Eligibility
For the first time in its long history, the Social Security Administration is providing benefits to legally married same sex married couples, thanks to the Supreme Court’s June 2013 Windsor ruling in the Defense of Marriage Act. This is a significant development with important financial implications for millions of elder lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans, same sex spouses, widows, and children of LGBT parents.
Launched in fall 2013 in the San Francisco Bay area, “Know Your Rights” is a national education campaign for LGBT Americans impacted by the Windsor decision. This Know Your Rights event is presented by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Foundation. It is funded in part by the City of Boston’s Commission on Affairs of the Elderly and the University of Massachusetts-Boston. The town hall will include a panel discussion with the Social Security Administration, legal experts, and seniors’ and LGBT advocates. Community partners include the Fenway Institute, GLAD Legal Advocates, and the LGBT Aging Project.
EVENT DETAILS; Wednesday, June 25, 2014; 5:30 p.m. Reception; 6:00 p.m. Program at Fenway Health; 1340 Boylston St.; Boston, MA; RSVP to Andrea akaris@fenwayhealth.org.
PARTICIPANTS
- Linda Dorn, Social Security Administration Deputy Regional Commissioner
- Max Richtman, President & CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
- Webster Phillips, Senior Legislative Representative, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
- Janson Wu, Senior Staff Attorney, GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders)
- Edward Alan Miller, Associate Professor of Gerontology, University of Massachusetts-Boston
The mission of the National Committee Foundation, founded in 2008, is to protect, promote, and ensure the financial security, health, and well being of current and future generations of older Americans through research, analysis, and public education. Previous successful Foundation projects include: Living Outside the Safety Net: LGBT Families and Social Security in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign, Patients Aware, educating Medicare beneficiaries about their new benefits through the Affordable Care Act, and the latest research report, “Chained CPI; Shackling America’s Economic Recovery.”
