Category: Cost of Living
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Food stamp benefits can be wiped nine months after they are issued
Food stamp benefits can be wiped from an EBT card nine months after they were issued, even when the card is in regular use. The U.S. Department of Agriculture put that in writing in a November 2025 memo to state SNAP agencies, and it said states are “strongly encouraged” to work this way. Federal law…
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The White House calls the $500 payments a return of Obamacare overcharges, funded from a surplus in the fees the federal exchange collects
The White House is describing a round of $500 payments as a return of Obamacare overcharges. Its fact sheet says the federal government will return “hundreds of millions in Obamacare overcharges” and ties the money to an exchange user-fee surplus. The administration says checks start going out in October 2026. What does the White House…
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A food stamp retailer caught trafficking can face permanent disqualification and heavy fines, and USDA says it sends some cases to criminal prosecutors
A store that takes food stamps and is caught trafficking in them can lose the right to do so for good. USDA says the penalties for retailers run from a temporary removal to permanent disqualification from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, plus fines, and that some cases go to criminal prosecutors. The…
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USDA requires a state to give a household notice before it wipes unspent food stamp benefits, a step the agency’s own memo says has to come first
A state cannot quietly erase unspent SNAP food stamp money, according to guidance the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent to every state agency. The memo says the federal law behind SNAP “requires States to provide sufficient notice to the household before expungement,” which means the household has to be told before the balance is wiped.…
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The pork price-fixing claim closing this month covers raw bacon and raw pork cuts only, not seasoned or breaded pork other than bacon, and the separate Smithfield and JBS round shut back in April
The claim window in the pork price-fixing settlement closes October 29, and it applies to a narrower list of products than many shoppers assume. The settlement administrator says the deadline for the current round of payments is Oct. 29, 2026, and the cash is tied to raw bacon and raw cuts of pork, not to…
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Food stamp purchase restrictions are targeted to begin November 1 in Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia, four of the 23 states USDA lists as approved
Four states are aiming to start limiting what SNAP food stamp benefits can buy on November 1. USDA’s list of approved state waivers shows Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia with a target implementation date of Nov. 1, 2026. Those four sit among 23 states on the list. The dates differ widely from state…
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Food stamp recipients up to age 64 without an exemption now face the three-month time limit in 41 states and territories holding no waiver at all, and no state has a statewide waiver left
No state has a statewide waiver from the SNAP three-month time limit anymore. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service says that as of October 1, 2026, zero states and territories hold a statewide waiver, 12 hold a waiver for certain areas only, and 41 have no waiver at all. That matters most…
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Pinal County says a disabled veteran’s total Arizona net assessed value cannot exceed $36,690 to qualify for the property tax exemption
A disabled veteran in Pinal County, Arizona, can only get the county’s property tax exemption if total net assessed value across all Arizona property stays at or under $36,690. The county assessor lists that ceiling on its veterans exemptions page. Applications open on the first Monday in January. The $36,690 is a limit on the…
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Detroit disabled veterans must file Form 5107 before December 31
Disabled veterans in Detroit who want their home exempt from property tax for 2026 have to file a one-page form, Form 5107, with the city before December 31. The same deadline applies to a veteran’s unremarried surviving spouse and to a legal designee who files on the veteran’s behalf. The exemption is for a home…
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Miami-Dade exempts totally disabled veterans from all homestead property tax
A Miami-Dade homeowner who is a veteran with a total and permanent service-connected disability can be exempt from all property taxes on the home. The Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser’s office describes the exemption as covering “all ad valorem taxes” on the homesteaded property. The exemption is not automatic for first-time applicants, and it has a…