Main Street Dollars

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The Department of Veterans Affairs pays a monthly pension to some wartime veterans and their survivors who have limited or no income. Veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities, or who are housebound, can apply for extra pension on top of it. The VA’s pension page, last updated July 24, 2026, lays…

Social Security added 17 million missing death dates to stop improper payments

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Social Security says it has added 17 million missing dates of death to its records. The agency announced the work on October 20, 2026, calling it the most comprehensive clean-up of Social Security number records in its 91-year history. Accurate records, the agency says, help prevent improper payments of taxpayer dollars. The announcement covers more…

Social Security pays divorced spouses before the ex files once divorced two straight years

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An ex who keeps working past 62 does not hold up a former spouse’s Social Security check. Social Security’s retirement benefits guide says a divorced spouse can receive benefits on the ex’s record even if the ex has not started collecting. The condition is that both people are at least 62 and have been divorced…

Social Security pays adults disabled before 22 on a parent’s record at any age

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A son or daughter who became disabled before turning 22 can be paid on a parent’s Social Security record at any age, long after the usual cutoff for children. Social Security’s retirement benefits guide lists a child who is “18 or older and have a qualifying disability that began before age 22” among those who…

Social Security student benefits require a school schedule of at least 20 hours a week

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Twenty hours a week is the line. A student drawing Social Security benefits has to be scheduled to attend school at least that much, in a course that runs at least 13 weeks, or the agency does not count the student as full-time. Social Security spelled out the test in an October 15 blog post…

SSI recipients who leave the country for 30 days in a row must report it

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in Government Programs

A winter trip to see family overseas is easy to plan and easy to forget to mention to Social Security. For people on Supplemental Security Income, a stay outside the United States of 30 consecutive days or more is a change the agency says must be reported. The rule is in Social Security’s October 7…

Medicare enrollees with Extra Help can join a stand-alone drug plan once a month, any month of the year, instead of waiting for open enrollment

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in Medicare

People who get Medicare’s Extra Help with drug costs are not tied to the fall open-enrollment calendar for a stand-alone drug plan. They can switch once a month, any month of the year. The rule covers stand-alone Part D plans only, not Medicare Advantage plans that include drug coverage. How does the monthly switch work?…

Food stamp households in New Jersey cut off at recertification under the noncitizen limits in Trump’s 2025 law will not be billed for benefits already paid

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in Government Programs

New Jersey will not ask for money back from food stamp households that lose their benefits because of the new noncitizen rules. The state’s Department of Human Services says households that lose eligibility at recertification because of the changes are not subject to a claim for over-issuance for benefits received during their certification period. A…

Social Security pays a child of a retired or disabled parent up to half of that parent’s full benefit, usually until 18, or 19 if still in high school

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A child can draw a Social Security check on a retired or disabled parent’s record, worth up to half of what the parent receives at full benefit. Social Security’s retirement benefits guide puts it simply: “Your child may get up to half of your full benefit.” The payments usually end at 18, or at 19…

Social Security pays more than 200,000 students a year, and the agency warns a missed school-attendance report can mean benefits that must be paid back

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