Main Street Dollars

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USDA’s waiver table lists November 1, 2026 as the target implementation date for SNAP soda and candy restrictions in five states: Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia. The date is USDA’s listing, not a confirmation from the states themselves. Ohio has paused its start at the federal government’s request and named no new…

SNAP lists eleven exemptions from its work rules, including veterans and people without housing

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in Government Programs

USDA’s SNAP work-requirements page prints two lists of people excused from the program’s work rules. Counted without duplicates, the lists name eleven exemptions, among them veterans, people without housing, pregnant people and young adults who aged out of foster care. The same page says USDA is still preparing guidance on how the 2025 law changes…

Amazon Prime refund payments expire 60 days after they are issued, and more than $845 million has gone out

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in Settlements & Claims

A payment from the Federal Trade Commission’s Amazon Prime refund program carries a clock that most refunds lack. According to the FTC, payments expire 60 days after the issue date, so a check left in a drawer can lapse even though no claim was ever required. More than $845 million has been issued so far,…

Medicare’s drug-cost shield weakens in January as the Part D out-of-pocket cap climbs to $2,400

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in Medicare

Medicare.gov now lists a 2027 Part D out-of-pocket amount of $2,400, up from the $2,100 the same site gives for 2026. The $300 difference takes effect in January, so anyone on expensive brand-name drugs will cover more of the year’s bills before covered drugs drop to $0. Open Enrollment, which runs October 15 to December…

Social Security now takes half a check to recover an overpayment, and a request filed within 30 days stops the collection

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in Social Security

When Social Security finds that a beneficiary was paid too much, the default is now to hold back half of each monthly benefit until the balance is cleared. The rate used to be 10 percent. The agency’s own instructions and its overpayment page also describe a window: a waiver request or an appeal filed before…

Mavis Discount Tire customers in Pennsylvania can seek repair refunds until Jan. 26

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in Settlements & Claims

Pennsylvania drivers who believe a Mavis Discount Tire shop charged them for repairs or maintenance they did not need have until Jan. 26, 2027 to seek a refund. The state attorney general’s settlement sets aside $190,000 in restitution, and the route is a consumer complaint, not a class-action claim form. Two tools for a repair-refund…

Equinox members hit by its 2024 data breach have until Oct. 23 to claim

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in Settlements & Claims

Equinox members and others who received a notice about the company’s April 2024 data incident have until Oct. 23, 2026 to file a claim in a New York class action settlement. The settlement website lists credit monitoring and cash compensation for valid claims. The Oct. 23 Equinox claim deadline: the notice carries several dates, and…

The FTC is weighing a rule to hold platforms responsible for impersonation scam ads

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in Fraud & Scams

No rule holding platforms responsible for impersonation scam ads exists yet. What exists is a question. On Sept. 24 the Federal Trade Commission asked the public whether its Impersonation Rule should be updated to reach the websites and apps that carry paid ads and listings, and it opened the earliest formal stage of rulemaking to…

The FTC says a car’s advertised price must be one any buyer can pay

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in Consumer Rights

A price shown in a dealer’s ad is supposed to be a price any buyer walking in the door can actually pay. That is the standard set out in price-transparency FAQs the Federal Trade Commission published Sept. 15, and it applies to what dealers put on websites, windshields and flyers. Staff guidance is not a…

Labcorp will pay 44 states $2.3 million over a breach hitting 10.2 million patients

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