Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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North Carolina’s attorney general says Duke Energy Progress’s proposed rate hike would cost customers nearly $960 million more than necessary over two years
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson says a rate increase Duke Energy Progress wants would cost its customers nearly $960 million more than necessary over two years. Jackson’s office made the case in an Oct. 6 statement, and he has refused to sign onto the utility’s request. The North Carolina Utilities Commission, which sets the…
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Wisconsin’s winter ban on utility disconnections of residential heating runs Nov. 1 to April 15, and applications for the state’s regular heating-aid payment are taken through May 15
Wisconsin customers who fall behind on a heating bill are protected from a shutoff for five and a half months starting Nov. 1. The Public Service Commission says the winter moratorium on disconnections runs from Nov. 1 to April 15 every year. The state’s home energy assistance program, WHEAP, has been taking applications since Oct.…
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Vermont renters have until Oct. 15 to claim the state Renter Credit, and late claims are not accepted
Vermont will stop taking Renter Credit claims after Oct. 15, and the state says it will not make exceptions. The Department of Taxes puts it flatly on its Renter Credit page: “we do not accept late filings.” With Oct. 15 falling on a Thursday, renters who have not filed have a few days left. Who…
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Massachusetts adds a heating-oil benefit of up to $680 for about 50,000 middle-income households this winter, on top of fuel aid that starts Nov. 1
A Massachusetts household that earns too much for ordinary fuel assistance may still get help with an oil bill this winter. Gov. Maura Healey’s office announced on Oct. 5 a new benefit of up to $680 for about 50,000 middle-income households, and it sits on top of the state’s regular heating aid, which begins taking…
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Texas retired teachers who skipped or dropped TRS-Care can join its Medicare Advantage plan from Oct. 1 through March 31, 2028, as can surviving spouses
Retired Texas teachers who never joined TRS-Care, or who dropped it, can sign up for the system’s Medicare Advantage plan between Oct. 1, 2026 and March 31, 2028. The Teacher Retirement System of Texas, or TRS, opened the limited-time window for retirees who did not enroll when they first could, and it also covers surviving…
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Tennessee retired state workers and teachers will pay $154.49 to $204.49 a month for the state Medicare supplement in 2027, under a new administrator
Retired Tennessee state employees and teachers on the state’s Medicare supplement will pay between $154.49 and $204.49 a month in 2027, according to the state’s 2027 premium notice. That is $19.85 more than this year in every service tier. The plan, called The Tennessee Plan, also gets a new administrator on Jan. 1, 2027, when…
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Wisconsin state retirees have until Oct. 30 to pick 2027 coverage, with deductibles rising to $400 and a new $200 copay on weight-loss drugs
Wisconsin state retirees have until Oct. 30 to choose their 2027 health coverage. Open enrollment runs Oct. 5 to 30, and a paper application has to be postmarked by Oct. 30, according to the Employee Trust Funds department’s 2027 decision guide for retirees. The guide also lists higher deductibles for non-Medicare plans and a new…
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Indiana is ending a retiree medical savings plan for state workers on Dec. 31, and employees hired before March 14 choose between two options this fall
Indiana will close its Retirement Medical Benefits Account plan for state employees on Dec. 31, 2026, and most workers already on the payroll have to decide what happens to their balance. The Indiana Public Retirement System, which runs the plan, says in its 2026 legislative update that fall open enrollment offers two options. The change…
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Colorado’s SNAP soft-drink ban, rescheduled for Oct. 30, cannot proceed after a federal court in Washington vacated USDA’s approval
Colorado SNAP cards are set to keep buying soda on Oct. 30, the date the state’s soft-drink ban was supposed to begin. A federal court threw out the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s approval of the ban in June, and the order says the waiver “may not proceed.” What Colorado planned Colorado asked USDA to change…
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CalPERS members who buy service credit on or after Jan. 1, 2028 can no longer pay it off through a permanent pension reduction and must pay in full within 90 days of retiring
Public pension members who plan to buy extra service credit have a deadline that most of them have never heard of. CalPERS says that for purchases elected on or after Jan. 1, 2028, a member can no longer pay the balance off by taking a smaller pension for life. Instead, any balance still owed at…