Senator Voinovich and Senior Accomplishments
· Benefits Check Up – Senator Voinovich helped kick off a new, national online benefits screening program, BenefitsCheckUp.org, modeled after Ohio’s Benefits Eligibility Screening Service (BESS) that the senator implemented as governor of Ohio. It provides online access to programs available to seniors, including employment programs, financial assistance, health care programs, home energy assistance, housing assistance, in-home services, legal services, nutrition programs, prescription drug assistance and volunteer opportunities. This information can be accessed online at http://www.benefitscheckup.org.
· Health Care Access and Medical Liability Reform – The threat of increasing costs of medical liability, spearheaded by personal injury lawyers and their frivolous lawsuits and uncapped jury awards, is driving doctors out of their practices and reducing patients’ access to quality health care. Senator Voinovich has been actively working to find a solution to this problem to provide needed relief for medical professionals, and help provide patients with continued access to physicians.
· Standing up for Veterans Health Care – The Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs recently documented the fact that disabled veterans in several states, including Ohio, receive significantly lower average disability compensation payments than veterans in other states. To ensure that Ohio veterans receive the care they deserve, Senator Voinovich recently wrote a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee urging them to support a provision requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to assist veterans from the “low cluster” states in submitting new claims and requesting reviews of past disability claims and ratings.
Senator Voinovich also supported an amendment introduced by Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) to the Defense Appropriations bill that provides an additional $4.3 million for the Department of Veterans Affairs for medical services, outpatient care and treatment for veterans.
Senator Voinovich and Social Security
· Protecting the Social Security Surplus – Unfortunately, in 2006 Congress spent the entire Social Security surplus — all $177 billion of it — and unless we change course, Congress could do so again in the future. That is why, since coming to the Senate, Senator Voinovich has been a strong advocate of “locking away” the Social Security surplus so it is not used for wasteful government programs.
In 2005, Senator Voinovich introduced the Truth in Budgeting Act, legislation to stop the raid of Social Security surplus funds. He believes Americans, and especially seniors, agree with him — Social Security funds should not be used to pay for the day-to-day operation of the federal government. Making the Social Security trust fund solvent in the long-term and restoring the American public’s confidence in it are among the most important challenges before Congress.
· Keeping a Promise – Senator Voinovich believes it is the obligation of the federal government to assure seniors that their futures are not in jeopardy, and that Social Security will be protected—especially as Congress debates and considers reforms to the system. That is why he is a co-sponsor of the Social Security Benefits Guarantee Act. This important legislation ensures that seniors will receive every cent the government has promised them under Social Security, including an annual cost-of-living increase.
Senator Voinovich and Medicare
· Providing Prescription Drugs – Older Americans are simply paying too much for their prescription drugs. That’s why Senator Voinovich helped pass the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) in 2003 to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors. Medicare is the federal government’s health care program for people over 65 and people with disabilities, including more than 1.7 million Ohioans. Medicare’s new prescription drug benefit is completely voluntary and will help those who choose to enroll in it pay for their prescription drugs. The new program will be a big help to Ohio seniors on Medicare who have no prescription drug coverage. It will also be a big help to low-income seniors and those with catastrophically high drug costs. Yet, the program will be available to all Medicare beneficiaries, and Senator Voinovich encourages eligible seniors to carefully consider how the plan can help them with the cost of their drugs.
For seniors who have existing drug coverage, through such means as a former employer or the Veterans Administration, this new law supports and helps protect that existing coverage. If seniors are already in prescription drug plans they like, they can stay in them if they choose.
As a part of the Medicare Modernization Act, all Medicare beneficiaries now have access to new benefits to help them maintain healthier lives. One of the most important new additions is the "Welcome to Medicare" physical exam, which is now available to all seniors as soon as they become eligible for Medicare. This exam provides education and counseling about the preventive action that seniors can take to eliminate and manage their diseases. In addition to the initial physical, new medical screenings for specific chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes, as well as for weak bones, glaucoma, and cancers of the colon, breast, cervix, and prostate have been added to Medicare.
Below, please find some helpful Websites that could be of assistance to you. Also, should you need assistance when dealing with any agency of the federal government, please do not hesitate to utilize the services of my casework office. Whether it is a glitch in getting your Social Security check, a denial of a rightfully deserved veteran’s benefit or a problem with the IRS, please do not hesitate to call my casework office should you need assistance in dealing with any federal agency.
You may reach my office at:
(800) 205-OHIO (6446)
Government Sites:
Administration On Aging:
Veteran Affairs:
US Department of Health and Human Services:
National Institute On Health:
