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Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS):

DORS provides benefits planning services to beneficiaries who are receiving DORS services. Please contact your DORS counselor to request benefits planning services from DORS. If you having trouble accessing benefits planning through your DORS counselor and need assistance, please reach out to us at the ‘Contact Us’ link.

http://dors.maryland.gov/

Maryland Work Incentives Network (MD-WIN):

MD-WIN provides free benefits and work incentives counseling services to Social Security disability beneficiaries via the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program. WIPA is a Social Security funded benefits counseling program that seeks to help beneficiaries understand and utilize work incentives to obtain financial independence. If you do not have access to benefits planning services through DORS, you may be able to access information and services through MD-WIN.

http://www.md-win.org/

Maryland Employment Network (MD-EN):

MD-EN is an Employment Network that takes part in Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program. The MD-EN connects Social Security beneficiaries with the services they need to go to work, including benefits counseling, so that beneficiaries can obtain financial independence.

http://www.ticket2workmd.org

Federal Poverty Levels for 2025 Announced

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently published the Federal Poverty Levels (FPL) for this year. There’s a slight increase, as is usually the case. To be on the very verge of poverty (100% of FPL) as the federal government has determined, an...

Supermarket Weep: USDA’s 2025 Food Stamp Allotments

If there might be an advantage to conducting business that runs on a financial year of October to September it is that annual changes can be made without an unsuspecting clientele even being aware. This surely is the case for the US Department of Agriculture who...

Medicare Premiums to Rise in 2025

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...

SSA’s 2025 COLA Figures Announced!

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...

Meet the Boss: Social Security Commissioner Now on Social Media

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....

What Do You Know?: SSA Looks to Support Teachers

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....

Social Security Announces Positive Changes to Signature Requirements

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...

Medicare Prescription Costs Reduced…but Not Yet.

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...

From the POMS: What is Collateral Estoppel?

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...

Settlement Program: Refugee Transitional Cash Assistance

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...