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Affordable Connectivity Program: Helping Households with Broadband Costs

Mar 25, 2022

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently introduced the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) which is expected to be a long-term replacement to the Emergent Broadband Benefit (EBB) that came into being during the pandemic. The purpose of the ACP is to...

Social Security Return to Office Update

Mar 18, 2022

The Social Security Administration have made it be known that they plan to open offices up to the public starting in April. They have admitted that they haven’t yet set an exact date for the grand re-opening so it would appear that those plans are far from fully...

March On: Social Security Recognizing Women’s History Month

Mar 11, 2022

Since 1995 March has been designated as Women’s History Month in the United States. Each year at this time we can recognize and celebrate all the achievements that women have made since the very beginnings of the creation of this country. Indeed, today, March 11, if...

Watch Out! Slam the Scam Day Is Just Around the Corner

Mar 4, 2022

In what has become an annual event, Social Security has instituted a Slam the Scam Day to bring awareness to the public of the insidious practice of scamming. This illegal activity involves individuals pretending to be from the SSA contacting beneficiaries and...

Plus ça Change…Continuing Medicaid Coverage for CDB Recipients

Feb 25, 2022

There is the common apprehension for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries that the loss of the benefit will lead to the loss of Medical Assistance coverage that, in Maryland amongst the majority of states, comes as part of the package. In many situations...

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Forking Out: SNAP Updates and Maryland’s Response

It is now widely known that it is forty-two million Americans who receive SNAP benefits, still also known as food stamps. They remain at the mercy of a government, which has remained shut down for thirty-seven days at the time of writing, and shows no sign of opening...

SSA Announces 2026 COLAs

2026’s Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) was recently published and there are some limited but welcome increases across the board. Benefits are due to go up 2.8%. In terms of how that looks to SSI recipients, it means that the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) will rise to...

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...