Financial Wellness Education, Tools & Resources

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COMING SOON

Medicare Premiums to Rise in 2025

by | November 27, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

It was a couple of weeks ago now, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the 2025 premium figures. It doesn't make for particularly happy reading as they're up again. The standard Medicare Part B premium will increase $10.30 a month on this...
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SSA’s 2025 COLA Figures Announced!

by | October 23, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

2025’s Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) was recently published and there are some modest increases across the board. This year that means benefits are up 2.5%. In terms of how that looks to SSI recipients, it means that the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) will rise to $967...
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Meet the Boss: Social Security Commissioner Now on Social Media

by | September 27, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

In another step to making the Social Security Administration at least appear more amenable to its customers, the agency yesterday announced that its commissioner, erstwhile Maryland governor Martin O’Malley, can now be followed on a couple of social media platforms....
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What Do You Know?: SSA Looks to Support Teachers

by | September 13, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

Perhaps in recognition of the fact that the rules around Social Security are plentiful and resolutely recondite the agency has taken advantage of the new school year to reach out to teachers and encourage them to educate their charges on the basics of SSA benefits....
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Social Security Announces Positive Changes to Signature Requirements

by | September 6, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

On this day when Social Security has been experiencing a significant IT issue that has impacted pretty much everything you can do on-line here's a bit of good news from the beleaguered agency itself. Below is the press release from just yesterday, when all their...
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Medicare Prescription Costs Reduced…but Not Yet.

by | August 21, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

The White House released a statement in the past few days highlighting the planned reduction in some Medicare Part D prescription costs. The plan, which is part of the Biden Administration's Inflation Reduction Act, is seen as countering the ridiculously high costs...
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From the POMS: What is Collateral Estoppel?

by | August 8, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

A recent casual conversation this writer engaged in with a leading Technical Liaison at VCU led to a discussion on the hitherto overlooked regulation that is legalese in its purest form. Collateral Estoppel sounds made up by someone trying to sound intelligent but is...
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Settlement Program: Refugee Transitional Cash Assistance

by | July 26, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

One of the lesser-known services administered by Maryland’s Department of Human Services must be the clearly titled Refugee Transitional Cash Assistance program. Funding comes from the federal government and allows those who are eligible to receive a little bit of...
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Asset Protection: Accessing On-line Social Security Accounts Updated

by | July 19, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

In another move that seems to have been instituted by the new Social Security Commissioner, Martin O’Malley Social Security is asking all of us who set up regular old MySSA accounts before September 2021 to set up a new one using a different format. Before too long...
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Time Off: SSA Looks to Simplify SSDI Application

by | June 28, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

As part of the effort to provide better customer service across the board in the government Social Security has recently made a couple of small change to the SSDI application that makes the often tedious process a little easier and a little shorter. Already in place,...
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