How AARP is Working for You

While nearly all older adults (99 percent) think hearing health is important to their quality of life, they’re less likely to take steps to protect it, a new AARP survey found.

More than 1,000 people 50 and older were surveyed in January about their hearing health and what they would do if they experienced hearing loss.

The good news is that nearly nine in 10 respondents thought it was important to minimize exposure to loud noise — which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists as the second most common cause of hearing loss, after aging. 

But far fewer thought it was important to use hearing protection to do so.

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We applaud Gov. Phil Murphy for signing AARP-backed legislation to help tens of thousands of New Jerseyans afford healthy food, especially as inflation drives up grocery prices.

The law, which took effect this month, boosts the state’s minimum monthly benefit under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) from $50 to $95 to replace the loss of federal emergency benefits, which ended in February.

The Garden State is first in the country to set its own minimum monthly SNAP benefit.

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With their numbers around the world expected to double by 2050, women at midlife and beyond are powerful drivers of the global economy, according to a new AARP report.

Titled “How Women 50-Plus Are Driving the Global Longevity Economy,” the report puts a spotlight on the contributions women are making to world economic activity — and what policymakers and business leaders can do to harness the economic potential in the decades to come.

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We wrote to lawmakers in the House and Senate last week announcing our support for a bipartisan bill that would close a loophole that allows some workers with disabilities to receive less than the federal minimum wage.

"People with disabilities should not be treated differently or be paid less than non-disabled employees," Bill Sweeney, senior vice president for government affairs at AARP, wrote in the letter.

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Older and disabled South Dakotans in need will be eligible for more tax relief this year thanks to two AARP-backed bills recently signed by Gov. Kristi Noem.

AARP South Dakota testified in favor of both bills, which will expand income limits for programs that provide property and sales tax breaks to older and disabled residents with lower incomes.

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We’re backing legislation that aims to give veterans more choices for long-term care by expanding their access to assisted living services covered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

AARP recently wrote to leaders of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs expressing our support for the Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act. 

The bipartisan bill would set up a pilot program to study the effectiveness of veterans’ receiving assisted living care through the VA.

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New York will no longer allow state-licensed assisted living facilities to automatically turn away adults in wheelchairs, following a lawsuit by AARP Foundation and others.

We joined the Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC), a nonprofit civil rights organization, to file a lawsuit against the state in 2018, alleging its regulations violated federal antidiscrimination laws by allowing facilities to deny residency to people with limited mobility.

We secured a major win last week when the state Department of Health announced a new set of changes eliminating that prohibition.

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Florida drivers could save hundreds in commuting costs thanks to a new toll relief program that runs through the end of 2023. 

The legislation, which our Florida office supported, “will put money back in the pockets of Florida taxpayers who live and work in the Sunshine State,” said Jeff Johnson, AARP Florida’s state director. He noted that this includes older adults returning to the workforce after the pandemic, who are dealing with the rising cost of commuting.

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