Oct 15, 2007 11:13 pm US/Eastern
First Boomer Applies For Social Security
WASHINGTON (AP) ―
The baby boomers' stampede for Social Security benefits has begun.
The nation's "first" baby boomer, a retired teacher from New Jersey,
applied for Social Security benefits Monday, signaling the start of an
expected avalanche of applications from the post World War II
generation.
Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue called it "America's silver tsunami."
Kathleen Casey-Kirschling applied for benefits over the Internet at
an event hosted by Astrue. Casey-Kirschling was born one second after
midnight on Jan. 1, 1946, gaining her recognition as the first baby
boomer — a generation of nearly 80 million born from 1946 to 1964,
Astrue said.
"She's leading the way for her generation," Astrue told reporters.
Casey-Kirschling will be eligible for benefits after she turns 62
next year. She said she taught seventh graders for 14 years at a school
near Camden, N.J., before retiring and volunteering for the Red Cross
in Gulf Coast areas hit by Hurricane Katrina.
She and her husband have since moved to the eastern shore of Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay.
"I think I'm just lucky to be at the top of the boom," she said.
An estimated 10,000 people a day will become eligible for Social
Security benefits over the next two decades, Astrue said. The Social
Security trust fund, if left alone, is projected to go broke in 2041.
But Astrue said he is optimistic that Congress will address the
issue, perhaps after the 2008 presidential election. President Bush had
proposed changes in Social Security to create private accounts, but the
proposal went nowhere in Congress.
Last week, Bush's budget director called the growth in Social
Security, Medicare and Medicaid a "fiscal train wreck." The three
entitlement programs make up nearly half of all federal spending, a
share that is expected to grow.
A report issued last month by the Treasury Department said that some
combination of benefit cuts and tax increases will need to be
considered to permanently fix the Social Security shortfall. But White
House officials stressed that Bush remains opposed to raising taxes.
Astrue acknowledged the political difficulties of addressing the issue, but said there is still time.
"There's no totally politically easy choice," Astrue said. "I'm not pushing any one answer."
Casey-Kirschling said her generation won't let Social Security fail.
"I think the baby boomers will want to get this fixed," she said.
"They're going to want to take care of their children and their
grandchildren."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
