Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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Treasury has proposed ending the paper-check waiver for people born before May 1, 1921, the only exemption from electronic federal payments based on age
Treasury has proposed ending the one exemption from electronic federal payments that depends on a person’s age. The waiver covers people born before May 1, 1921, who were still getting a federal payment by paper check on March 1, 2013. The Bureau of the Fiscal Service published the proposal on April 29, 2026, and the…
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The IRS sends a CP53E notice with a 30-day deadline when it cannot deposit a refund electronically, and a filer who misses it gets a paper check after six weeks
A tax refund the IRS cannot send by direct deposit now comes with a clock. The agency mails a notice, called a CP53E, asking the filer to respond within 30 days, and if nobody answers and nothing else is wrong with the return, the refund is released as a paper check after six weeks. The…
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Food stamp purchase restrictions are targeted to begin November 1 in Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia, four of the 23 states USDA lists as approved
Four states are aiming to start limiting what SNAP food stamp benefits can buy on November 1. USDA’s list of approved state waivers shows Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia with a target implementation date of Nov. 1, 2026. Those four sit among 23 states on the list. The dates differ widely from state…
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Social Security beneficiaries who want the 2027 increase notice online must open a my Social Security account and go paperless by November 18 or wait for December mail
Social Security beneficiaries who want to read their 2027 cost-of-living notice online have a date to meet: November 18. The Social Security Administration said in an October 14 news release that people without an account must create a my Social Security account and enroll in paperless notices by that day, or the notice will come…
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October’s Medicare rebate check is labeled a Medicare Improvement Fund payment, and CMS says people on Medicare Advantage, Medicaid premium help or IRMAA are all left out
The Medicare rebate payment landing this October carries a specific label on the deposit or check: “Medicare Improvement Fund Payment; $90 Payment to Offset October Premium.” The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services explained the payment in an October 3 question-and-answer fact sheet. The $90 is a flat, one-time payment, not an average and not…
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Food stamp recipients up to age 64 without an exemption now face the three-month time limit in 41 states and territories holding no waiver at all, and no state has a statewide waiver left
No state has a statewide waiver from the SNAP three-month time limit anymore. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service says that as of October 1, 2026, zero states and territories hold a statewide waiver, 12 hold a waiver for certain areas only, and 41 have no waiver at all. That matters most…
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Rust Consulting is administering the FTC’s Walmart money-transfer refunds, and the agency warns it never asks recipients to pay money or transfer money to get one
The Federal Trade Commission is sending 65,022 checks to people who lost money through Walmart money transfers, and the payments total more than $9.8 million. The FTC announced the mailing on October 15, and Rust Consulting Inc. is the refund administrator handling questions. The agency says the checks should be cashed within 90 days, and…
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The White House says nearly a million people in 30 states who paid the full price for Obamacare coverage are getting $500 refund checks beginning this month
Nearly 1 million people who bought Obamacare coverage without any premium help are due $500 each, and the first checks are scheduled to start going out this month. The White House announced the refunds in a September fact sheet, and the IRS repeated the $500 figure in an October 14 news release. The money is…
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The FTC told 24 of the largest health care companies on October 5 that hiding the price of a service may be deceptive under federal law
On October 5, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission sent letters to 24 of the nation’s largest healthcare services companies. The letters say failing to disclose the price of a healthcare service may be deceptive under federal law. They are warnings, not fines or lawsuits. The FTC’s announcement says the letters remind the companies of their…
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The FTC asked on September 24 whether online platforms should have to stop impersonation ads before anyone sees them, citing more than a million imposter-scam reports
The Federal Trade Commission asked the public on September 24, 2026 whether online platforms should be required to stop impersonation ads before they ever reach consumers. The agency pointed to more than 1 million imposter-scam reports it received in 2025. It is a question, not a rule, and no new requirement for platforms exists yet.…