Anthony Cummings, a fugitive on the run from a child rape indictment in Georgia, improperly collected thousands of dollars in Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI) payments until the law finally caught up with him. The SSI program, which is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), will continue to pay fugitives at least million annually unless state fugitive files can be used to prevent such payments, the agency`s Inspector General recently warned. Auditors estimate that fugitives have collected between 8 million and 0 million in SSI benefits over the past four years. The SSA hopes to negotiate agreements by July to obtain fugitive records from all states. .For more information about town hall meetings near you, click HERE. You can also call the local offices of your Members of Congress to request information about upcoming town halls. For contact information, click HERE. .What Do We Do Now? My Husband Lost His Job And Our Healthcare Coverage .Call your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and ask for free counseling from a Medicare counselor. You can find local contact info here: https://www.shiptacenter.org. Many of these programs operate through local agencies on aging or senior services departments. Counselors can help you over the phone from home. .TSCL enthusiastically supports H.R. 1030 and H.R. 3118, and we were pleased to see support grow for both of them this week. .Unlike Medigap plans, Medicare Advantage plans charge a co-payment every time you visit a doctor, use a lab, or have a brief hospital stay. In fact, Medicare Advantage plans can charge a very hefty 5 — 5 per day co-payments for hospital stays that generally would cost nothing at all under Medigap supplements for the same period. Seniors, especially those who are older, and who might require hospitalizations or have chronic health conditions, may wind up spending as much or even more out-of-pocket in a low, or no premium Medicare Advantage Plan as they would with under a Medigap plan. Medicare Advantage plans appear to be more advantageous for seniors who: .It would eliminate two waiting periods that approved DI recipients must endure. Under current law, approved DI beneficiaries must wait five months to begin receiving monthly benefits, and two years to begin receiving Medicare coverage. .The third piece of legislation they should pass is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 202It has always been considered to be "must pass" legislation because it authorizes so many things for the military, including pay. But as we reported last week, President Trump has threatened to veto the bill because it doesn't contain a measure that he wants passed having to do with the regulations of social media like Twitter and Facebook. .The legislative proposal also does not specify whether the locality pay adjustment would be applied in addition to the COLA or used instead of a COLA. If the intention is to add a second adjustment in addition to the COLA my guess is that many retirees would welcome the additional boost. Should the proposal be intended to replace the COLA that brings a higher level of uncertainty to the annual adjustments than we already experience. For people who live in areas where private sector pay is on an even level with federal pay or lower, those retirees may wind up with little or no locality pay adjustment, perhaps over the course of many years.