Betsy Ose

Inflation has reduced my standard of living. But more than anything, having no meaningful increases in my pension to counter this gives me little hope  for a future in my own home.

Currently Rhode Island retired teachers  get no cola and no benefits going forward like Social Security recipients. Approximately 67 million people receive an ANNUAL cola  with their Social Security benefits in the United states. Many Rhode Island teachers worked in districts that did not participate in the Social Security system.

But now, possibly, there is an opportunity to correct this in the state of Rhode Island. Maybe there is hope after all.

The elderly are one of the fastest growing homeless populations in the country. Many  retired teachers may well be among them!

Since 2012, when the Rhode Island pension cola was suspended, the dollar has lost approximately 1/3 of its purchasing power. So every year that goes by, we lose more and more – now our dollars buy only 2/3 rds of what they did when the cola was taken away from us.

Please give consideration to the retired teachers and other public pensioners of Rhode Island who worked many years in good faith. Many of us are just hanging on by a thread.

Respectfully submitted,

Betsy D. Ose

Submitted via email