Author: Elizabeth Blessing
-
Pennsylvania cuts retroactive Medicaid coverage for expansion adults 19 to 64 to one month, down from up to three, starting Jan. 1, 2027 under Trump’s 2025 law
Starting Jan. 1, 2027, Pennsylvania Medicaid will pay for medical bills going back just one month before the month of application for adults 19 to 64 on the Medicaid expansion. Up to now, retroactive coverage could reach back up to three months. Everyone else who applies will get two months, instead of up to three.…
-
SNAP adults who earn at least $217.50 a week or already work 30 hours are exempt from the 80-hours-a-month work rule, Colorado’s human services department says
Colorado SNAP recipients who earn at least $217.50 a week, or who already work 30 hours or more a week, are exempt from the program’s work rule for able-bodied adults without dependents. The state’s Department of Human Services lists that exemption on its ABAWD page, which stands for able-bodied adults without dependents. The rule it…
-
Jeep will fix tire-pressure warnings free on 201,975 Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer and Cherokee SUVs
Jeep owners with certain Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer and Cherokee SUVs can get a tire-pressure software fix at no cost. FCA, the company behind Jeep, is recalling 201,975 vehicles because a software error may stop the tire pressure monitoring system from detecting low pressure or lighting its warning light. Dealers do the repair. The National Highway…
-
An estimated 562,000 CalFresh recipients will lose food aid under the federal work rule, roughly 47,000 a month from October, Assemblymember Alex Lee’s office says
An estimated 562,000 California CalFresh recipients will lose food assistance under the federal work rule, according to Assemblymember Alex Lee’s office. The San Jose Democrat’s office says roughly 47,000 people a month will lose benefits, starting in October 2026. The numbers come from a press release dated Oct. 14, which says a total of 562,000…
-
The IRS lets a widow or widower who has not remarried file jointly for the year of the spouse’s death, with special filing benefits possible for two more years
For the year a spouse dies, a surviving widow or widower who has not remarried can still file a joint tax return with the late spouse. The IRS treats the survivor as married for that whole year. For the two years after, special filing benefits are possible too, but only for a survivor raising a…
-
Social Security lets a widow or widower start survivor benefits as early as 60, or at 50 if they are disabled
Social Security survivor benefits can start well before retirement age for a widow or widower. The earliest start is age 60, or as early as age 50 for a surviving spouse who has a disability. The age is a minimum, and other conditions about the marriage also have to be met. The Social Security Administration’s…
-
About 183,000 Philadelphians in Medicaid expansion renew every six months from Jan. 1, 2027, when some adults 19 to 64 must also show 80 hours or $580 a month
About 183,000 Philadelphians are in the Medicaid expansion group, and starting Jan. 1, 2027, those adults will have to renew their coverage every six months instead of once a year. Some adults ages 19 to 64 will also have to show 80 hours a month of work, school, training or volunteering, or household income of…
-
Federal employees and retirees in MHBP Standard self-only coverage face $1,540 more a year in 2027 premiums, a Checkbook analysis says, and Open Season ends Dec. 14
Federal employees and retirees who carry MHBP Standard self-only coverage face the biggest premium jump in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program for 2027, $1,540 more a year. The estimate comes from an analysis by Consumers’ Checkbook, a nonprofit that compares health plans. Open Season, the yearly window to change plans, ends Dec. 14.…
-
Connecticut released $12.7 million so about 32,893 deliverable-fuel households can get their heating benefits at the same time, with paid deliveries starting Nov. 2
Connecticut has set aside $12.7 million in state money so that about 32,893 households that heat with delivered fuel can receive their heating benefits at the same time, instead of using up one benefit before the next. Program-paid fuel deliveries start Nov. 2, and the last day to apply this winter is May 31, 2027.…
-
The IRS says taxpayers usually have three years to file and claim a refund, and money left unclaimed after that becomes the property of the U.S. Treasury
People who skipped a tax return in a year when they were owed money back usually have three years to fix that, and the IRS says the clock is not forgiving. In its March 20, 2026 release, the agency said taxpayers who do not file within the window lose the refund to the U.S. Treasury.…