Category: Benefits & Retirement
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CMS lists nine groups excluded from the new Medicaid work rule, among them veterans rated totally disabled, pregnant people and anyone already meeting food stamp rules
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has named nine groups of people who are excluded from the new Medicaid work requirement. They include veterans with a total disability rating, people who are pregnant or eligible for postpartum coverage, and members of households receiving SNAP, the food stamp program, who are not exempt from SNAP’s…
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Social Security will post 2027 benefit amounts in the my Social Security message center in late November, and Medicare enrollees can see their new figure there first
Social Security’s 2027 cost-of-living raise is 3.6 percent, and the first place most people will see their own new amount is online. The agency says account holders can open their notice in the my Social Security Message Center starting in late November, weeks before any paper letter reaches a mailbox. The Social Security Administration announced…
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The White House says 26 drugmakers have signed its Medicaid pricing deal, covering most of the branded drug market
The White House says 26 drug manufacturers have now signed agreements to lower what state Medicaid programs pay for brand-name drugs. It says the companies cover most of the branded drug market. The announcement came in a fact sheet dated September 18, 2026. It is a claim by the administration, and the fact sheet does…
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SSI stops for up to 36 months when a recipient gives away or under-sells a house or car, with the penalty months set by the gift’s value and the full federal rate
Giving away a house or a car, or selling one for far less than it is worth, can cost a Supplemental Security Income recipient their SSI for as long as three years. Social Security’s rulebook says the penalty can run up to 36 months, and the length depends on how much value was handed over.…
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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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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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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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Food stamp applicants have 90 days to request a hearing after a decision
People who disagree with a decision on their food stamp case, known formally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, have 90 days to ask for a fair hearing. The clock starts on the day the local SNAP office made the decision, not on the day the application went in. The rule is on…
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A food stamp household that qualifies for expedited service must get its benefits within seven days
A household that qualifies for expedited service in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, long known as food stamps, must have its benefits within seven days of applying. The regular deadline is 30 days. The faster track is meant for households that are nearly out of money and cannot wait a month for groceries. USDA’s Food…