Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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The FBI warns scammers are using the midterms to push fake PAC donations
The FBI is warning that scammers are using the 2026 midterm elections to collect money through fake political action committees, or PACs. Its Internet Crime Complaint Center issued the alert on October 15, 2026. The public service announcement, titled “Scammers Exploit 2026 U.S. Midterm Election to Perpetrate Multiple Fraud Schemes,” describes four separate pitches, ranging…
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Rhode Island’s winter heating aid applications are open, with crisis grants for shutoffs
Rhode Island households that struggle with winter heating bills can now apply for the state’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP. The program also offers crisis grants for homes facing a heat shutoff. The Rhode Island Department of Human Services says the application period for federal fiscal year 2027 opened October 1,…
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SNAP households can get food destroyed in a household misfortune replaced, up to a month’s benefits, if they report it within 10 days
SNAP households whose groceries are destroyed in a household misfortune, such as a fire or a flood, can have that food replaced in benefits. The catch is a short clock: the loss has to be reported within 10 days. The federal rule, 7 CFR 274.6, says states replace the amount of the loss to the…
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Federal money no longer replaces food stamp benefits skimmed after December 20, 2024
SNAP benefits that criminals steal by skimming or cloning an EBT card are no longer replaced with federal money when the theft happened after December 20, 2024. Congress let that authority lapse on that date, and the Agriculture Department’s page on stolen benefits, updated September 8, 2026, shows no extension. Households hit now cannot count…
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Social Security survivor benefits stay with widows who remarry at 60 or older
A widow or widower who remarries at age 60 or older keeps Social Security survivor benefits. The Social Security Administration says a remarriage after 60 does not stop the payments, and the same holds from age 50 for a survivor with a disability. A remarriage before those ages usually ends the benefit, which makes the…
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Social Security credits back benefits withheld for working after retirees reach full retirement age
Social Security benefits held back because a retiree kept working are not lost. When the retiree reaches full retirement age, the agency recalculates the benefit and raises it to account for the months it withheld. The catch is that the credit comes as a higher monthly payment later, not as a check for the missing…
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Social Security lets retirees undo a claim once, within 12 months, by repaying benefits
Social Security gives retirees a one-time way out of a claim they regret. A person who applied for retirement benefits can cancel the application, but only within 12 months, only once, and only by paying back everything received. The Social Security Administration’s page on how to cancel a benefits application says an application can be…
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Social Security pays up to six months of back benefits after full retirement age
People who wait until after full retirement age to apply for Social Security can be paid up to six months of back benefits. The catch is that taking the back pay permanently lowers the monthly check from then on. For some households the trade is worth it, and for others the monthly reduction costs more…
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Credit card billing-error disputes must reach the card issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the error was sent, federal rules say
A wrong charge on a credit card bill comes with a short clock. Under the federal rule that governs card disputes, the card issuer has to receive a written billing-error notice within 60 days after it sent the first statement showing the error. The rule is Regulation Z, section 1026.13, enforced by the Consumer Financial…
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OG&E wants Oklahoma regulators to approve a rate increase that would add $23.88 a month to the average home bill
OG&E has asked the Oklahoma Corporation Commission for a rate increase that would raise the average residential bill by $23.88 a month if approved. The electric utility filed the request on September 30, 2026. Rates are not changing now, and new rates would not take effect until about six months after the process starts at…