Social Security Stories: Bill Libro

As an eight-year-old, Bill Libro didn’t know the role Social Security played in his life after his father died. His mother collected survivor benefits on behalf of Bill and his two sisters. Only when the survivor benefits played a key role in his ability to attend college, did the full impact of the program hit home for him.

“What eight-year-old knows about the checks that come in?” said Bill. “My dad served in the Pacific during World War II, so I think my mother also received some veteran’s benefits as well. It only occurred to me later how important it was for Social Security to help us get by back then.”

As a stay-at-home mom, Bill’s mother spent most of her days doing chores on their family farm. They lived with Bill’s grandparents, just outside of Hibbing, Minnesota. Bill recalls how living with his grandparents helped everyone.

“Because we lived in a multigenerational household, it allowed us to extend the benefits my mom was receiving on our behalf,” he said. “Our being there allowed my mom to put some of the money aside to help pay for college-related costs for me and my older sister.”

Bill went to Bemidji State University in Minnesota, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in biology. In addition to doing farm chores, Bill worked construction jobs during summers while in high school and college. But, the money he made was never enough to cover his college tuition. Fortunately for Bill, while he was enrolled in college he also received a student benefit from Social Security that he used to help cover the cost of his classes. Others were not so fortunate. In 1981, Congress rescinded Social Security benefits for students enrolled in college.

“I saved up as much as I could each summer,” he said. “The student benefit made a huge difference and helped me remain in college and get my degree.” Now, Bill contributes back into Social Security himself as the Director for Federal Affairs for Minnesota Power.

Reflecting on his childhood, Bill is convinced Social Security played a crucial role in his upbringing.

“Our immediate family had no other sources of expendable income,” he said. “Because we lived on the family farm, we didn’t suffer like some others who were concerned with paying the rent or putting food on the table. But, we all worked hard and certainly scrimped on nearly everything else. Social Security benefits had a huge impact on our lives.”

For more Social Security success stories, download Generations United’s publication Social Security: What’s at Stake for Children, Youth and Older Adults.

Social Security Stories: Maureen Sullivan

Maureen Sullivan’s father made education a high-priority for his family and held high expectations for Maureen and her older sister.

“My dad was an extremely intelligent and knowledgeable man,” Maureen said. “He was a lifelong learner and he instilled a strong sense of the value of education in my sister and me.”

Unfortunately, Maureen’s father didn’t get the chance to see his daughters graduate from college. He passed away when Maureen was 14. Thankfully, however, the Social Security survivor benefits that Maureen received helped to keep her family in their home and Maureen in the school she attended.

"I was a freshman in high school and my sister was a freshman in college at the time,” Maureen said. “Emotionally, my dad's loss hit us really hard. We were hit hard financially as well. The majority of our income had come from my dad’s salary. Social Security survivor benefits really helped us to pay the bills and have food on the table. We were grateful for the support.”

“Things could have turned out much differently,” Maureen said. “Money was very tight after my dad passed away. Getting the support from Social Security was extremely important--it allowed us to say in our house and keep me in the school I was attending. I’m not sure I would have made it to college if we had to move and go to a different school.”

Maureen graduated from her local high school, attended college, and is currently working on a graduate degree in school psychology from the University of Delaware. While the family faced financial struggles, she remains positive about her future.

“I’m sure my dad would have been very pleased that we both went to the schools we did and got our degrees,” she said. “Our parents made huge sacrifices to make sure their children had good educations. Now we will be able to make good on those sacrifices by working hard and helping others.”

For more Social Security success stories, download Generations United’s publication Social Security: What’s at Stake for Children, Youth and Older Adults.

Social Security Stories: Harriet Moulton

With her two children grown, Harriet Moulton and her husband began to map out how they wanted to enjoy a little more space and time together. “We figured that we had a number of years to ourselves, to do things we’d like to do. We had two empty bedrooms – one was going to be his study, one was going to be for my art and sewing.”

But a phone call six years ago derailed their plan. Harriet heard her son’s voice on the other end of the line. “Come get Damian,” he said, “or he’s going to the state. I can’t take care of him.”

She responded without hesitation. “Hold on while I get an airplane ticket,” she said. “I’ll be right there.” Harriet, who was 44 at the time, bought a ticket to Colorado and came back with Damian, her three-month-old grandson.

For several years, Harriet and her husband took care of Damian. Just before she and her husband completed the process of legally adopting Damian, her husband died in May 2010. The following October, the adoption went through but fortunately Damian remained eligible for survivor benefits.

“I’m really thankfully we were able to adopt him,” Harriet said. “It allows him to be eligible for the survivors benefit and every penny counts.”

She transformed one of their previously empty rooms into Damian’s bedroom, and the other now houses the breakables Harriet packed away once Damian started walking. “I thought at this age I’d be able to sleep late. Instead I’m chasing after a 6-year-old,” she says.

Although money remains tight, Harriet is committed to being the best mother to Damian that she can be. “He’s bubbly and fun-loving,” she says. She is sure Social Security enables her to provide Damian with a healthy and happy childhood. “If they make cuts, there would be a lot less grandparents raising their grandkids,” she says. “They just wouldn’t be able to afford it, and the kids would be forced to be in state foster care, which would be a real shame.”

More recently, Harriet needed medical treatment herself. Following a lung biopsy, she now receives a small disability payment each month as well. She is very direct about her need for the safety net Social Security provides. “It’s the difference between being in the house I own and being in a family shelter,” she said. “There would be no way I could stay here without the assistance I get from Social Security.”

For more Social Security success stories, download Generations United’s publication Social Security: What’s at Stake for Children, Youth and Older Adults.

Social Security Stories: Senator Lindsey Graham

For many working families, Social Security provides a much needed safety net against the tragedies of disability and death. Senator Lindsey Graham grew up in a family of modest means in Central, South Carolina.[1] The first member of his family to attend college, he joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps marking his entry into national service.

Several years into his studies, Graham’s family faced a double tragedy. “When I was 21, my mom died,” he said. “She was 52.”[2] The following year at age 69, his father passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack.

As a college student, he and his thirteen-years-old sister depended on their recently deceased parents’ Social Security benefits.[3] At the time of her parents’ passing, Graham’s sister Darlene moved in with an aunt and uncle who lived on modest wages from a textile mill.[4] Over the next ten years, Social Security survivor benefits helped feed, clothe, and educate Darlene while Graham completed college and law school. Once his law career got off the ground, Graham became her legal guardian.

During these tough times, Graham and his sister Darlene, learned how Social Security survivor benefits can help keep a family afloat. On many occasions, Graham has spoken of Social Security’s value, saying it “made a world of difference to my family.”[5]

“I know firsthand that we cannot let the system fail people who need it the most,” he said.[6]

For more Social Security success stories, download Generations United’s publication Social Security: What’s at Stake for Children, Youth and Older Adults.

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[1] Meckler, Laura. “Senate newcomer takes lead on Social Security” Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail (Feb. 13, 2005)

[2] Babington, Charles. “Graham Fills Social Security Void With a Plan Bound to Irk All Sides; GOP Senator Is a Surprise Leader On Thorny Issue” Washington Post (April 2, 2005)

[3] Draper, Robert. “Lindsey Graham, This Year’s Maverick” New York Times (July 1, 2010)

[4] Babington, Charles. “Graham Fills Social Security Void With a Plan Bound to Irk All Sides; GOP Senator Is a Surprise Leader On Thorny Issue” Washington Post (April 2, 2005)

[5] Babington, Charles. “Graham Fills Social Security Void With a Plan Bound to Irk All Sides; GOP Senator Is a Surprise Leader On Thorny Issue” Washington Post (April 2, 2005)

[6] Meckler, Laura. “Senate newcomer takes lead on Social Security” Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail (Feb. 13, 2005)

Social Security Stories: Congressman Paul Ryan

On the day of Congressman Paul Ryan’s birth in 1970, President Richard Nixon unveiled a federal budget proposal that included a large increase in Social Security payments. As a teenager, Social Security would later play an important role in the personal life of Representative Ryan (R-WI).

At the age of 16, Ryan’s father died unexpectedly from a heart attack. The death left the 10th grader, his three older siblings, and his mother alone.

The loss brought other changes to their lives. His mother returned to school to study interior design and the two became closer. “It was just the two of us,” Ryan says, “because my siblings were off to college.” Shortly thereafter, his maternal grandmother moved into their home while suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and Ryan would often provide care for her. “I did a lot of growing up pretty fast then… It gave me a pretty cold, quick lesson which was that life was short, so make the best of it.”

“His sense of responsibility hit him hard,” his mother Betty aid. “I think he felt he was the man of the house.”

Fortunately, Congressman Ryan could count on receiving Social Security survivor benefits. He collected payments Until the age of 18, putting the money away for college. Using the Social Security checks he saved, Ryan enrolled in Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. As a student, he became an intern for Wisconsin Senator Bob Kasten. Once he graduated with a degree in economics and political science, he joined Kasten’s staff and began his career in public service.

“My biggest motivation was to make my dad proud of me,” said Ryan.

Elected to office in 1998 at the age of 28, Ryan credits his father’s death and the care of his grandmother as giving him first-hand experience as to how social service programs work.

For more on Congressman Ryan’s story, download Generations United’s publication Social Security: What’s at Stake for Children, Youth and Older Adults.

Social Security Stories: Senator Al Franken

As a freshman in college, Senator Al Franken met his future wife Franni Bryson at a mixer. They hit it off immediately and talked for hours. Not long after, she told him the story of her upbringing. At just 17-months-old, Franni lost her father – a decorated veteran of WWII – in a car accident that left her mother widowed with five kids.

“Sometimes they didn’t have enough food on the table; sometimes they’d turn off the heat,” Franken says. “They made it because of Pell grants and Social Security survivor benefits. And my mother-in-law and every one of those five kids became a productive member of society.”[1]

Franni’s story left an indelible mark on her husband and confirmed his belief in Social Security. In his book The Truth (with Jokes), Franken wrote about how Franni’s mom used Social Security to keep her family together.

“As soon as Bootsie (the youngest) started school, Franni’s mom got a job working odd hours in the produce department at a nearby supermarket. Her paycheck, a very small veterans’ widows’ benefit, and survivors benefits from Social Security weren’t always enough to keep the heat on during the Maine winters, or the telephone or the lights for that matter, but they did put food on the table. (Though a terrific cook, my mother-in-law sometimes had to serve fried dough to feed her family). Neil went into the Coast Guard, and all the girls went to college. If it hadn’t been for Social Security, I never would have met Franni in Boston my freshman year…”[2]

Franken strongly believes that the government has a duty to provide for those in need through Social Security.

“Social Security provides a safety net for families torn apart by unspeakable tragedy and for those unable to earn a regular paycheck,” says Franken. “It is vitally important that we preserve Social Security and give our children and grandchildren the same fighting chance we all had growing up.”

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[1] Levy, Ariel. “Don’t Laugh; During the Bush years, satire was one of the Democrats’ most potent weapons. But Al Franken’s earnest – sometimes tearful – campaign for senator raises the question: Can politics and comedy co-exist?” New York Magazine (November 12, 2007)

[2] Franken, Al “The Truth (with Jokes)” Penguin Books (October, 2005)

Social Security Stories: Mary Thompson

Although she has never married or had children of her own, Mary Thompson knew that she wanted to care for her two young nieces after her sister died unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm in 2004. “I knew I wanted to raise Brianna and Brandy. But I really did have a fear of how I was going to do it financially as a single person,” she said.

Initially, providing care for two children unexpectedly strained Mary’s budget. Her salary as a human resources assistant at a bank only allowed her to comfortably meet the needs of a single person. Suddenly, she needed to make it work for three.

“What I was making was not enough to handle food and clothes for the girls let alone if they would want to go to a movie or out to eat with their friends,” she said. “I was concerned. I didn’t know how I could make ends meet. My paycheck took care of house bills and whatever I needed personally, and that was about it.”

But about a year after her sister’s death, Thompson got some relief when she learned that her young nieces qualified for survivor benefits from Social Security.

“Someone told me about survivor benefits for the girls,” Mary said. “I didn’t know they were available, and once I started receiving the support, it really made a huge difference.”

Currently, Brandi is 15 and a freshman in high school. Her older sister Brianna is 19, and a student at Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina, studying secondary education.

Mary still counts on Social Security to meet her bills. “If I lost that, I’d have to find another way. It could come down to having to move,” she added, “which would mean disrupting Brandi’s life even more, putting her into a new school and taking her away from her friends.”

Regardless of her struggles, Mary always knew stepping in to raise her sister’s kids was the right thing to do for her and the children.

“I knew right away I didn’t want the girls split apart,” she said. “And it’s great being a parent. I ask the girls all the time, ‘do you know how much I love you? Do you know how important you are to me?’ And the smile and say, ’yes, auntie, you tell us all the time!’” It never fails to make me smile.”

Mary is very thankful for how Social Security helped her family to smile again and hopes the security it currently provides will remain available for families in the future.

Social Security Stories: Marilyn Watkins

Marilyn Watkins enjoyed a happy life in Seattle with her family. Married to an instructor at the University of Washington, she was raising two boys, Carl, 11 and Erik, 9, while working a part-time job. Their lives changed drastically, however, when her husband died suddenly of a heart attack.

“On the night my husband died, Erik had some friends over to the house. I overheard him say to them, ‘My daddy made all the money. How are we going to live?’ Even at his age, he knew it was a concern.”

Because he provided the family’s primary source of income, the death of Marilyn’s husband could have devastated the family financially. Marilyn feared that she might need to leave the family home with her young sons and that another disruption would only bring more anxiety to her boys. Thankfully, Social Security survivor benefits helped to see them through this traumatic period in their lives.

“Social Security made a huge difference,” Marilyn said. “It allowed us to stay in our house and offered security for my boys, who had gone through so much. I think it prevented them from having issues later in life, and I attribute that to Social Security.”

The monthly support meant Marilyn worried about less about her finances as she guided her sons from elementary through high school.

“Being a single mom raising two boys was pretty challenging in itself,” she said. “It was good knowing I could afford to buy them new sneakers or a new coat when they needed it.”

“I think Social Security is really important for middle class families, too,” she continued. “Even if you are earning well above the poverty line, there are always extra expenses coming up – something with the car or the house.”

Both of Marilyn’s sons attended Carlton College and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Erik majored in computer science while Carl studied Geology.

“Social Security gave me the ability to raise my sons without the fear of falling backwards into poverty,” Marilyn said. “Knowing that we would receive an amount in our checking account each month made a huge difference. The stability it allowed me to provide for them was invaluable.”

Restoring the Social Security student benefit: The best policy idea you haven’t heard of yet

“I do believe we are responsible for the widow and the orphan.”

— Richard Gilbert, Tea Party supporter (New York Times, April 16, 2010)

Whether you are a Francis Perkins admirer or Sarah Palin follower, Americans believe Social Security is a promise worth protecting for all generations. Supporting the children of a diseased and disabled parent is a core American value enshrined in the values of the Social Security program, and reinstating the student benefit for post-secondary education should be a top priority of any reforms to strengthen Social Security. Since 1939, Social Security has supported the children of deceased, disabled or retired workers — that support now helps keep over a million vulnerable children out of poverty. In 1965, Congress recognized the growing importance of a college education and extended Social Security benefits for children of a deceased or disabled parent enrolled in college until age 22. The benefits were successful in helping children enroll in college and complete an education without having to enter the workforce when they turned 18 to support themselves and their family. In 1983, when Social Security faced a real crisis (unlike the phony one portrayed today), Congress sacrificed the benefit in a compromise to save the long-term solvency of the program. Today’s circumstances are vastly different and merit the restoration of the benefit.

According to an excellent new policy brief by Alexander Hertel-Fernandez and the National Academy of Social Insurance, a number of factors make the student benefit even more important for children than it was in 1983. First, the imperative of a college education continues to grow in a knowledge economy: “college graduates earn, on average, 61 percent more over their lifetimes than do high school graduates.” While the value of a college education has risen, so has its cost (roughly double since 1979). At the same time, youth have even less access to financial aid than ever before. The value of a Pell Grant has barely increased in real dollars, leaving it inadequate to meet the needs of rising education costs. The results have been devastating for the children of deceased and disabled parents. A 2003 study found that more than a third of the children eligible for the pre-1983 benefit did not enroll in college because of the lost benefit.

The two principal reasons cited in 1983 for the benefit elimination — a Social Security shortfall and administration challenges — are much less relevant today. The Social Security actuary estimated it would cost .07 percent of taxable payroll to restore the benefit (measured over the traditional 75-year Social Security window). The actuary did not consider how much that cost would be offset from the higher earnings and increased payroll tax contribution of the additional college graduates (paging Stephen Goss). In 1983, the Social Security Administration had some difficulty verifying student enrollment and eligibility for the benefit. Today, electronic verification through the FAFSA application (a requirement for almost all schools) would make such concerns moot. Given the extensive benefits of the student benefit to society and vulnerable youth and its rather miniscule potential cost, restoring the student is a policy equivalent of a no-brainer.

Children and Familes Have a Stake in Social Security

In this time of heightened conversation about the national debt, Social Security and other vital government programs, we've just released a Fact Sheet illuminating the intergenerational benefits of Social Security. Social Security pays more benefits to children than any other federal program, and serves as a safety net for our most vulnerable children and families. Read, re-read and pass on to your friends and contacts -- we'd love to know what you think about this critical matter.