Category: Government Programs
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South Carolina’s SNAP ban on candy, energy drinks and sweetened soft drinks starts Nov. 1 for 235,235 households, while diet and zero-sugar sodas stay allowed
South Carolina’s SNAP cards stop paying for candy, energy drinks and sugary soft drinks on Nov. 1. The state’s Department of Social Services calls the change Healthy Food SC, a two-year project that covers every household on the program. Diet and zero-sugar sodas are not part of the ban. What the card will not buy…
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WIC now gives pregnant and postpartum mothers $48 a month and fully breastfeeding mothers $53 for fruits and vegetables
Pregnant and postpartum women on WIC now get $48 a month to spend on fruits and vegetables, and mothers who are fully breastfeeding get $53, under amounts the U.S. Department of Agriculture set for the federal fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2026. Children get $27. WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,…
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SSI no longer counts food someone else provides when figuring in-kind support, only help with shelter, Social Security’s 2026 guide says
Food that a relative, friend or roommate provides no longer lowers a Supplemental Security Income check, according to Social Security’s 2026 guide to living arrangements. Since Sept. 30, 2024, food has been left out of the calculation for what the agency calls in-kind support and maintenance, which leaves help with shelter as the part that…
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Social Security misvalued vehicles in 24 of 48 sampled cases where SSI recipients owned more than one, its inspector general found
The Social Security Administration misvalued vehicles in 24 of 48 sampled cases where Supplemental Security Income recipients reported owning more than one, according to an audit by the agency’s inspector general. The report, dated Sept. 15, 2026, also found that auditors suspected 54 of 208 sampled recipients owned vehicles they never reported. SSI is the…
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All 50 state Medicaid programs will pay no more than the most-favored-nation price for drugs from 26 drugmakers under Trump’s deals, the White House says
The White House says every state Medicaid program will pay no more than the most-favored-nation price for brand-name drugs from 26 drugmakers. President Trump announced the deals on Sept. 18, 2026, according to an official fact sheet. The sheet gives no date for when the lower prices begin. What most-favored-nation pricing means Under the agreements,…
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New Jersey food stamp households have 90 days to activate new chip EBT cards, and current cards expire 60 days after the new ones are issued
New Jersey households on food stamps have 90 days from the day a new chip EBT card arrives to activate it, and the old card stops working 60 days after the new ones are issued. Human Services Commissioner Stephen Cha announced on Sept. 10 that chip cards are available statewide, and the state’s press release…
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Virginia’s old food stamp cards shut off 60 days after a new chip card is mailed, and the state says benefits lost to skimming cannot be replaced
Virginia’s old magnetic-stripe food stamp cards will switch off by themselves 60 days after the new chip card is mailed, even if the new card was never activated, according to the Virginia Department of Social Services. The same state notice carries a harder line on fraud: benefits lost to skimming, cloning or other fraudulent methods…
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Food stamp soda limits start Feb. 1, 2027 in Wyoming and Feb. 15 in Kansas, and Nevada’s candy and sugary-drink limit follows on Feb. 1, 2028
Food stamp shoppers in Wyoming will no longer be able to buy sweetened soda with their benefits starting Feb. 1, 2027, and Kansas follows two weeks later with a limit on candy and soft drinks that begins Feb. 15. Nevada’s limit on candy and sugar-sweetened drinks is set for Feb. 1, 2028, a full year…
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Pennsylvania food stamp households that do not prove rent and utility costs at renewal get benefits figured without those deductions, though the case stays open
Pennsylvania food stamp households that cannot show what they pay for rent and utilities when their case comes up for renewal will have their benefit figured without those costs, which can make it smaller. The case itself stays open. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) said on September 29 that the proof requirement has…
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VA homelessness aid for very low-income veteran families is funded only through Dec. 11
Federal money for the VA’s main program that keeps very low-income veteran families housed is guaranteed only until December 11, 2026. A stopgap spending law, Public Law 119-103, approved September 2, sets aside $130,191,781 for Supportive Services for Veteran Families, known as SSVF, for the period from October 1 to December 11. The law does…