Read our Latest Posts

Whatever Happened to SSA’s Red Book?

Social Security were in the practice of publishing an annual version of their highly comprehensive guide to work incentives for those on SSDI and SSI but, like a disused KN95 mask, it appears to have fallen by the wayside. SSA’s Red Book webpage shows the last full...

National Disability Forum Coming Soon!

Social Security have announced the date and topic of their next National Disability Forum. The focus will be “Aspects of Childhood Disability and Childhood SSI” and is set for 1pm on April 19. In keeping with the times it’s going to be  a virtual meeting held...

Food Stamps Stolen? Maryland Can Reimburse You

Food stamp fraud has recently become so prevalent In Maryland, with a reported 2,366 households having had money stolen from their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) accounts in the past 6 months, that the Department of Human Services (DHS) has created a simple way for...

SSA Makes Slight Change to Overpayment Waiver Process

The non-profit legal advocacy organization, Justice in Aging, recently uncovered a small but positive change in the eligibility criteria for those requesting a waiver of the dreaded Social Security benefit overpayment. The change entails the expansion of margin of...

Going Underground: Maryland’s Burial Assistance Program

The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) was expressly developed to provide health care to all its citizens from ‘cradle to grave’. While there remains no such plan in the United States there is some limited provision of care that does indeed extend beyond...

SSA Reveals Service Plan during the Federal Government Shutdown

Social Security has issued a statement on its Advocates webpage highlighting the level of its availability during the government shutdown which went into effect today, October 1. Crucially, all SSI and SSDI payments will continue without change and on the same payment...

Oscillate Wildly: Changes to SSDI Overpayment Recovery Rates

It may have escaped your attention, as it did this writer’s, that on August 29 this year Social Security issued Emergency Message 25029 REV. Emergency Messages are the agency’s method of notifying every office of the new protocols to follow. This one’s purpose is to...

Tapping In: Maryland’s Assistive Technology Financial Loan Program

To judge from the figures presented in the 2024 review of Maryland Department of Disabilities’ Technical Assistance Program (MDTAP) there’s not much knowledge within the state of the program itself or any of its projects. MDTAP has provided the Assistive Technology...

Listen Up: Maryland DDA’s Low Intensity Support Services Program Accepting Applications

Maryland’s Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) has long understood the need to provide funding to children and adults in the community in order that they might lead happier and more fully integrated lives in the community. What was once called Rolling...

Social Security Turns 90!

To commemorate this landmark birthday, we've re-published the open letter from Frank Bisignano, the agency's current commissioner. Today, we celebrate the 90th anniversary of Social Security—a program that has stood as a pillarof economic security and dignity for...

Healthy Options? USDA Encouraging SNAP Food Restrictions

In further changes under the new administration (remarkably, it has only been seven months) the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services are now actively seeking states to implement further restrictions on what you can buy with food...

As You Were: VCU’s National Training and Data Center Re-opens

Last week we reported that Virginia Commonwealth’s NTDC has been closed and all services terminated. This week Social Security announced that the center is open once more. Melanie Webb, the Branch Chief of SSA’s Employment Programs, sent out an n email to the nation’s...

VCU’s National Training and Data Center Closed Down

Benefits Counselors around the country received the news today that Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) was forced to close the National Training and Data Center (NTDC) on July 29. The brief announcement from Melanie Webb, Branch Chief of Employment Programs at...

Salt in the Wound: OBBBA and Cuts to Medicaid for Non- Citizens

Further to our recent blog on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and its plan to cut Medicaid funding, here’s some more bad news brought to you by your government. This time the target is Non-Citizens. At present there are some severe limitations to eligibility...

Stopped Check: SSA to Eliminate Paper Payments to Beneficiaries

These days if you are to order a new batch of checks you are given a choice of designs for the background and can even select a personal message line. You may notice, however, that the choices appear to skew towards appealing to an older demographic. One recent option...