To the Editor: 

Here in New Hampshire, you would have to look pretty hard to find a family that doesn’t have a woman that has sacrificed her career to be a caregiver for a loved one. Many people don’t realize that in order to be a home caregiver, you’re losing out on Social Security benefits.

Many years, if not decades, of Social Security credits are lost when you leave your job, or cut back hours to provide a service that would cost too much for most of us to pay someone else to do. This adds up to a huge amount in lost benefits when a woman retires — the average across the U.S. is $324,000 over a lifetime.

This is why I am so happy to learn that New Hampshire Congresswoman Annie Kuster has cosponsored H.R. 3377, the Social Security Caregiver Credit Act. With this legislation, women and men who leave their jobs to provide full-time care would receive an earnings credit worth about $22,000. This would help people make up for their lost Social Security credits and help them live a more financially stable retirement.

Thank you, Rep. Kuster, for helping women have hope and security when planning their retirement.

Heidi Hanson
Stratham