As the Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Senator Collins’ priorities include retirement security, highlighting the importance of biomedical research on diseases like Alzheimer’s and diabetes, and scams targeting seniors.
As the Senate Co-Chair of the Congressional Alzheimer’s Task Force, the Senator is particularly committed to putting an end to Alzheimer’s disease, which has had such a devastating effect on 5.2 million Americans and their families.
To visit the Senate Special Committee on Aging’s website, click here.
Provision to Improve Generic Drug Competition, Ensure Patient Access to Affordable Medication, Clears Key Hurdle
Senators Collins, Baldwin’s RAISE Family Caregivers Act Clears Key Senate Hurdle
Washington, D.C. — The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee unanimously passed legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to establish a national strategy to support family caregivers. The Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage, or RAISE, Family Caregivers Act will now be considered by the full Senate.
Collins, Casey Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren as Opioid Epidemic Increases Their Numbers
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Committee Chairman Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Ranking Member Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduced the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act to create a federal task force charged with supporting grandparents raising grandchildren.
Senators Collins, Baldwin Introduce RAISE Family Caregivers Act
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage, or RAISE, Family Caregivers Act today.
Momentum Building for Senator Collins’ Bipartisan Bill to Protect Seniors from Financial Exploitation
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, announced today that the Senior $afe Act—bipartisan legislation she introduced with Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) to help protect American seniors from financial exploitation and fraud—has received key support from four additional Senators. The total number of cosponsors is now 24.
Senators Collins, Casey Applaud Arrests of Eight Suspects Accused of Defrauding Thousands of Americans of Nearly $8.8 Million
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bob Casey (D-PA), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee, applauded the announcement by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) that eight individuals have been arrested for their role in the IRS impersonation scam. The suspects are accused of stealing nearly $8.8 million from more than 7,000 victims by impersonating Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents.
Senators Collins, King Announce Maine Locations for 2017 Drug Take-Back Day
Washington, D.C. — Ahead of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day tomorrow, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) announced the locations of the Maine collection sites. Click HERE for locations.
Aging Committee Leaders Collins, Casey Call on HHS to Restore LGBT Questions to Key Older Americans and Disability Surveys
ICYMI: “Declaring War on Financial Abuse of Older People”
Click HERE to read the full article
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Growing Trend Fueled by the Opioid Crisis
The crisis of opioid abuse that is ravaging our state and our country is truly an epidemic. There were 376 deaths from drug overdose here in Maine last year, more than 52,000 nationwide – numbers that exceed the lives lost to car accidents, breast cancer, or a host of other causes.
Senator Collins Cautions Consumers of IRS’s Use of Private Debt Collection Companies
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, is cautioning consumers to be aware of the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) new policy of using private debt collection companies to collect unpaid taxes.
Aging Committee Leaders Collins and Casey Urge FCC to Support Proposed Rule to Limit Robocalls
*Click HERE to read the signed letter*
Senate Aging Committee Holds Hearing on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren as a Result of the Opioid Crisis
Click HERE for a copy of Senator Collins’ opening statement
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bob Casey (D-PA), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee, convened a hearing today titled, “Grandparents to the Rescue: Raising Grandchildren in the Opioid Crisis and Beyond.”
Senator Collins Chairs Hearing on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren as a Result of the Opioid Crisis
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King, Collins, Schatz Introduce Bill to Help America’s Seniors Safely Age at Home
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As more Americans are choosing to grow older in their own homes, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) today introduced legislation that will help make independent living less burdensome.
Senators Collins, Brown, Nelson, Capito Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Seniors from High Costs of Necessary Medical Care
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) reintroduced their bipartisan legislation to update a current loophole in Medicare policy that would help protect seniors from high medical costs for the skilled nursing care they require after hospitalization. The Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act would allow for the time patients spend in the hospital under “observation status” to count toward the requisite three-day hospital stay for coverage of skilled nursing care.
Senators Collins, McCaskill Urge Senate Banking Committee to Consider Senior$afe Act of 2017
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), the Chairman and former Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee, sent a letter to the leadership of the Senate Banking Committee today, urging consideration of the Senior$afe Act of 2017 (S. 223).
Collins, Casey, Grassley, Leahy Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Older Workers from Discrimination
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bob Casey (D-PA), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee, along with Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), introduced the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA). The legislation would restore the ability of older workers to take legal action when age discrimination affected their professional opportunities. Additionally, it would reaffirm that workers may use any type of admissible evidence to prove their claims.
Senators Collins, Cantwell Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Preserve Home Health Care for Rural Seniors
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced bipartisan legislation that will help ensure that home health care remains an option for seniors in rural communities. The Preserve Access to Medicare Rural Home Health Services Act would ensure that home health agencies serving patients in rural areas continue to receive additional payments to help compensate for the higher costs that they face.
AARP Endorses Senior$afe Act of 2017
Nation’s largest senior group says “this legislation protects individuals at financial institutions who disclose suspected financial exploitation of senior citizens to appropriate agencies, and requires the financial institution to provide training on identifying and handling of potential exploitation.”
Senate Aging Committee to Examine New Developments In Fight Against Senior Fraud
Wednesday, February 1, 2:30 PM, Dirksen Room 562
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Bob Casey, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee, will hold a hearing on Wednesday, February 1, 2017, at 2:30 pm, in SD-562, titled, “Stopping Senior Scams: Developments in Financial Fraud Affecting Seniors.”
Senator Collins Warns Of Persistent Grandparent Scam
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, is warning of an increasing number of calls to the committee’s Fraud Hotline reporting of a persistent phone scam that targets grandparents.
Through this so-called “Grandparent Scam,” of which there are multiple variations, scammers typically call an older adult pretending to be a family member, often a grandchild. The con artist claims to be in urgent need of money to cover medical care or a legal problem, such as for bail or legal services following a supposed arrest.
Senators Collins, McCaskill Introduce the Senior $afe Act of 2017
Washington, D.C. — Senators Susan Collins and Claire McCaskill, the Chairman and former Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee, today introduced the bipartisan “Senior$afe Act of 2017.” This bipartisan legislation would put in place a commonsense plan to help protect American seniors from financial exploitation and fraud by providing support to regulators, financial institutions, and legal organizations to educate their employees about how to identify and prevent financial exploitation of older Americans.
Collins, Klobuchar Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on Fraud Targeted at Seniors Passes Commerce Committee, Heads to Full Senate for Vote
Schemes targeting seniors include fraudulent investment plans, prizes and sweepstakes, internet fraud, charity scams, predatory home lenders, telemarketing and mail fraud, accessing assets through undue influence, using fraudulent legal documents, and Ponzi schemes
Aging Committee Chair Collins and Ranking Member Casey Applaud FTC and Justice Department Announcement of Settlement with Western Union on Consumer Fraud Charges
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Bob Casey, Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee, applauded the Federal Trade Commission and the United States Department of Justice’s announcement of a settlement with Western Union in which the company admits to criminal anti-money laundering violations that have negatively and disproportionately affected aging Americans.
Sens. Collins, Klobuchar Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on Fraud Targeted at Seniors
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) today introduced bipartisan legislation to crack down on fraud targeted at seniors. Schemes targeting seniors include fraudulent investment plans, prizes, and sweepstakes, internet fraud, charity scams, predatory home lenders, telemarketing and mail fraud, accessing assets through undue influence, using fraudulent legal documents, and Ponzi schemes.
"Trust Betrayed: Financial Abuse of Older Americans by Guardians and Others in Power"
Earlier this year, an attorney in Belfast was sentenced to 30 months in prison for bilking two elderly female clients out of nearly a half a million dollars over the course of several years.
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