Just when caregivers of the elderly and sick in the Big Apple are waging a fierce battle to have their work respected and an end to 24-hour shifts, which represent deep losses in their wages for unpaid hours, an initiative of law promoted from New York at the federal level, seeks to provide retirement protections to those who care for relatives in need.
This is the so-called Social Security Credits for Caregivers Act, legislation that would provide required points in the retirement process for millions of Americans who leave their jobs to dedicate themselves to the unpaid care of sick, disabled or elderly loved ones.
This was announced this Tuesday by the federal senator from New York, Kirsten Gillibrand, after announcing that she introduced a piece of law in the federal Legislature that would ensure that the retirement of those who care for their relatives without charging for it, is not threatened.
The legislator, who is a member of the Senate Committee on Elder Affairs, warned that in the state of New York alone there are about 2.2 million family caregivers who provide care to their sick or disabled relatives, which means losses of about $39,000. million dollars each year, without receiving pension points for that time.
For this reason, the legislator wants Congress to give free rein to her bill, which would provide retirement credits to unpaid caregivers who spend at least 80 hours a month caring for a dependent relative, under 12 years of age, or a person chronically dependent, unable to fend for themselves, many of them older adults.
“Families should never be forced to choose between caring for a loved one and guaranteeing their retirement security,” said the Democratic senator, while warning that care is essential in families, especially for children, the sick, the disabled and the elderly, so it is urgent that unpaid carers be provided with security for their future retirement.
“We cannot continue to penalize workers who take time out of the workforce to care for a sick child, sick grandparent, or disabled spouse by denying them Social Security credits during that time. The Social Security Caregivers Credit Act would recognize caregiving for what it is (work), and allow caregivers to continue moving toward retirement.”
Gillibrand explained that Social Security credits are “units” that the Social Security Administration uses to determine if a person qualifies for retirement, disability and other benefits and recalled that both the Senate and Congress must guarantee that professionals and workers are protected excluded who do not have protections when they care for their relatives in need.
Data from Social Security reveal that an American needs a total of 40 credits to qualify for retirement benefits, and in 2023, a minimum income of $1,640 is required to obtain 1 credit and $6,560 for the maximum of four annual credits, so that unpaid caregivers who leave their jobs to care for relatives, or substantially reduce their hours, earn less or no Social Security credits. This leaves them at risk of not qualifying for benefits and jeopardizing their retirement security.
And although in New York City there are programs for relatives of adults over the age of 65, whose number is estimated at 1.1 million (13% of all New Yorkers) of whom, according to data from the Municipal Administration, 21 % are Latinos, are paid to assume caregiving tasks, those who find themselves in unexpected situations, where they have to take care of their relatives temporarily, are left in labor limbo.
This is stated by Edgar Pabón, an employee of a financial advisory office, who for several months had to take care of his mother, after being paralyzed, and lost his job.
“We are all exposed to life suddenly surprising us with things that we never expected, such as a family member becoming seriously ill, and I believe that it is in those moments that we need all the support, not only with issues such as pension credits, which It’s obviously something important, but also that we could keep our earned wages intact and not be reduced or sometimes fired,” said the 53-year-old Colombian, who urged legislators to promote deeper laws and not “mere washcloths ” in pension matters.
“I think senators should show a deeper interest in helping adults when they retire, with increased pension amounts, annual cost-of-living increases, extra premiums, bonuses, and fairer averages based on what you’ve earned in life and not give us checks in the end that are a handout, with which it is not possible to live well, less when one is already old and needs more care and protection, “added the father of the family.
Organizations and activist groups that fight to improve conditions for home caregivers, mostly immigrant women, see Senator Gillibrand’s bill as a positive move, but consider that it falls short, since it should also include the end of long workdays to paid employees, who are not paid their full hours by care companies.
“While Senator Gillibrand’s proposal is a positive recognition of the valuable work of caregivers, it ignores the most devaluing and dehumanizing feature of New York government-funded and publicly sanctioned caregiving, which is the 24-hour workday in home care,” said JoAnn Lum, of the “Aren’t I A Woman?!” Campaign, of the NMASS Workers Center, which advocates for respect for home caregivers.
“Working 24 hours a day up to a total of 120 hours a week has destroyed the health and families of thousands and thousands of caregivers in homes,” added the leader, while announcing that this Wednesday, May 17, A delegation of black home care workers will present a call to the United Nations (UN) to declare the 24-hour work day a crime against humanity.
“I have never heard of 24-hour shifts in my country. But, here in the United States I have worked over 12 years of 24 hour shifts. They have destroyed my body and my health. 24 hour shifts are tortuous. We can’t sleep. Also, the 24-hour shifts affected my family. I missed all the important moments with my children,” said caregiver Luz Estrella, from the Dominican Republic. “That is why we ask the UN to support us, to declare the 24-hour shift a crime against humanity.”
Older adults in the Big Apple in figures
- 2.2 million New Yorkers care for family members across New York
- $39 billion each year would cost their services
- 1.5 million New Yorkers are between the ages of 50 and 65
- 1.1 million older adults are in the city
- 13% is the percentage of elderly in the five counties
- 60% of older adults are women
- 40% of the elderly in the city are men
- 49% of the elderly in the Big Apple are immigrants
- 21% of New York seniors are Latino
- 22% of the city’s elderly are black
- 44% of seniors are white
- 34% of seniors do not speak English well
- 20% of older adults speak Spanish
- 30% of Latino adults live alone
- 7% of New Yorkers are seniors between the ages of 65 and 74
- 4% of New Yorkers are between the ages of 75 and 84
- 2% of New Yorkers are over the age of 85
- An estimated 1.4 million adults over the age of 65 will be in NYC by 2040