Read our Latest Posts

SSA Delay Plans on Office Returns

Dec 31, 2021

In a brief note to customers delivered just before Christmas Social Security let it be known that they would not be sending their staff back to offices on January 3, 2022, as had been planned earlier in the month. The original re-entry plan was revealed almost as the...

A Holiday Message from MD Benefits Counseling Network

Dec 23, 2021

It may not exactly feel like the most wonderful time of the year as we deal with another upsurge of the still deadly, and now rather tedious, Covid 19, but here we are. Despite all that we’re dealing with, we at MDBCN would like to wish one and all the very best of...

1619(B) Threshold for 2022 Announced

Dec 17, 2021

Unlike the Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) there is little uniformity in when the new year’s 1619(b) thresholds are published, but this year Social Security have jumped the gun and have already posted the 1619(b) thresholds for 2022. Continued Medicaid Eligibility...

Child Tax Credit Now Available to More Families

Dec 13, 2021

One aspect of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was the expansion of Child Tax Credit, which meant that more families with children were eligible to receive monthly funds. Some months on from the implementation of the new funding there are likely to be many...

Need Help Accessing Local Services? Social Security Have the Answers

Dec 3, 2021

The Social Security Administration has been touting its on-line services for quite some time now and with a good level of determination as regular readers of their weekly blog would not have failed to notice. One development in recent months was the creation of the...

« Older Entries

Next Entries »

An August Occasion: Celebrating National ABLE Savings Day

This year August 14 marks, amongst other notable events, the 236th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Väräla which brought about an end to the Russo-Swedish War; exactly 124 years later the arrival of British Expeditionary Force in France saw the beginning of...

Priority Treatment: SSA Adds to the Compassionate Allowance List

A fresh press release from Social Security will provide some good news to potential beneficiaries who experience a range of disabilities. Fourteen relatively obscure conditions have been added to the agency’s Compassionate Allowance policy. The policy allows Social...

Won’t Get Food Again: SNAP Eligibility in Decline

Recent articles in The Atlantic and by NPR have highlighted the growing concern in the reduction in the number of food stamp beneficiaries over the past year. The current figure, as estimated by the Department of Agriculture, stands at around 37 million recipients,...

Hear Ye, Hear Ye: Social Security Adds New Features to MySSA Accounts

A recent press release from Social Security looked to encourage applicants who have found themselves having to appeal a denial to use a My Social Security account when working through that process. Evidently very keen on getting you on board, the agency has produced a...

Summer Break: Maryland’s SUN Bucks Program

Originally launched by Governor Wes Brown back in 2024 Maryland’s Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program, which trades under the SUN Bucks title, is back for another year. SUN Bucks is the state’s provision to allow eligible families with children aged between 5...

Food Security: New EBT Cards Coming Soon!

Maryland’s Department of Human Resources announced last week that they would be rolling out new Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards as part of a modernization plan designed to ward off food stamp thievery. The new cards will have the same capabilities as regular...

No Going Back: Medicaid Retroactive Eligibility Span Reduced

The Budget Reconciliation Act of 2025 has provided this blog with a seemingly ceaseless font of bad news stories. Here’s another one. Currently someone applying for Medicaid can get retroactive coverage for up to three months prior to the date of application as long...

Working It Out: SNAP Eligibility Changes and Maryland’s Response

The current administration’s legislation on changes to work requirements for SNAP recipients are now in force and beneficiaries are feeling the effects. H.R.1’s new rules require non-exempt adults aged between 18 and 64 to show proof of employment, volunteering or job...

Centralized Planning: SSA Announces Administrative Changes to Disability Reviews

In a press release from last week Social Security made it known that they are in the process of transitioning how Continuing Disability Reviews (CDR) will be conducted. If you receive SSDI or SSI you’ll probably be aware that, unless you have a Ticket to Work in use...

Spread the Word: Social Security Promotes ‘Slam the Scam’ 2026

National Consumer Protection week, which has been sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission since 1998, is soon to be upon us. It runs from March 1 to 7 and is designed to spread awareness and provide information to us, the consumers, on how to best safeguard our own...