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New Guidance from Social Security Regarding Stimulus Payments for Social Security and SSI Benefit Recipients

Apr 14, 2020

On Friday April 10, 2020 Social Security Administration's Commissioner Andrew Saul released new guidance to Social Security and SSI benefit recipients regarding processes for ensuring individuals obtain the full amount of government stimulus payments they and their...

EID Premiums Suspended Until Further Notice

Apr 10, 2020

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) has made the generous decision to suspend the charging of premiums for those who participate in the Employed Individuals with Disabilities (EID) program. This order went into effect on March 30 and covers premium payments as of...

Another Day, Another Social Security Benefits Scam Revealed

Apr 2, 2020

It would appear that the coronavirus outbreak has given certain individuals pause for thought. The thought being “How can I use this crisis to wring some money out of Social Security beneficiaries?” Yes, once again the Social Security Administration has been obliged...

Recovery and Wellness Programs: Access Meetings and Resources On-line

Mar 26, 2020

The current unpleasantness has caused all of us to adapt our ways as we endeavor to carry on and function under these new restrictions. The loss of a freedom to meet with others in person wherever we choose has, for most of us, and each to varying degrees, caused...

Maryland Department of Health and Social Services Offices Closed to the Public Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Mar 23, 2020

The Maryland Department of Human Services announced it will close office buildings to the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This announcement was posted March 18th, 2020 and offices continue to remain closed. DHS reports that it will continue to provide program...

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In Exile: Impending Medicaid Eligibility Denials for Non-Citizens

Emma Lazarus’ 1883 sonnet ‘The New Colossus’ was written in the same year that she established in New York the Society for the Improvement and Colonization of East European Jews; an organization designed to provide aid to refugees escaping antisemitic violence and...

Education Matters: Maintaining Child’s Benefits at 18

Much to the dismay of students and teachers, another summer vacation has come and gone and one must again spend those long hours in the classroom looking wistfully out of the window as someone whitters on about some nonsense or other. For a small but significant...

In The Loop: SSA Changes Policy on Re-routing Calls

As anyone who has been obliged to call Social Security knows, the wait time has been prohibitively long. In the last year of the Biden administration the average wait was 60 minutes, which was bad enough, but in 2025 under the present regime that had increased to a...

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...