AARP Lobby Week Goes Virtual Amid Coronavirus Pandemic Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

AARP Lobby Week Goes Virtual Amid Pandemic

Members volunteers will go online to press key 50 issues with lawmakers

Getty Images Thousands of AARP members and volunteers will begin attending virtual meetings and emailing their members of Congress Tuesday to make it clear what issues they expect their elected officials to act on. Traditionally, lawmakers would see these constituents walking the halls of the nation's capital and sitting across from them at conference tables. Activists from across the country would fly to Washington and join AARP staff on Capitol Hill. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. But the necessitated a change of plans. The organization had its first virtual lobby effort in April. “This is an opportunity for folks to speak directly to their members of Congress,” says Bill Sweeney, AARP senior vice president for government affairs. “It's also a great opportunity for members of Congress to hear from their constituents, so it's a win-win for both.” In the end, Sweeney adds, members of Congress will actually speak to more people than they would have for an in-person event. Lobby Week, Sweeney says, is a way for AARP members and volunteers to highlight issues that may have been overshadowed by other concerns during the election campaign, such as the pandemic. The three major issues on the agenda, he says, are nursing home safety, food insecurity and a glitch in Social Security that could hurt Americans who turn 60 this year.

Protecting nursing homes

High on AARP's list of priorities is the need to ensure have the testing capacity and personal protective equipment that residents and staff need to keep themselves safe and prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. More than 97,000 nursing home residents and staff have succumbed to the novel coronavirus, making these facilities the source of 40% of COVID-19 deaths. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers >

Food needs increasing

As cars line up for miles at food banks across the country, AARP members will also urge Congress to temporarily increase the minimum and maximum benefits for the SNAP program, formerly known as food stamps. Currently, the maximum federal SNAP monthly benefit is $204 for an individual and $374 for a couple; the average benefit is $138 a month for an individual and $260 for two people. Food insecurity particularly affects Americans over age 50 because of the increased challenges for those seeking employment and the limitations of the fixed incomes many older Americans face. That means they have limited financial resources to pay for necessities such as food, housing and prescription medications. "We've heard from people all over the country about the challenges with getting food during this pandemic, and I think Lobby Week gives us an opportunity to talk about the issue of food security,” Sweeney says. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. . The Social Security Administration (SSA) determines a person's initial benefit using the national average wage index two years prior to their being eligible for benefits. Typically, the index rises from year to year, but if the index falls for any reason — in this case, due to the economic impact of the pandemic — so does the projected benefit. Since beneficiaries can start collecting retirement benefits at age 62, the average wage index for 2020 is particularly important to people turning 60 this year. What's the solution? AARP wants Congress to act so these 4 million Americans won't be unfairly affected by any dramatic drop in the wage index. “AARP is showing up. We're fighting to defend Social Security, as we always do,” Sweeney says. More on politics-society AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS