Public Benefits

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is temporarily re-opening an online tool to allow families that do not typically file tax returns to claim a $500-per-child coronavirus stimulus payment. ...

Although the up to $1,200 relief payment does not immediately affect eligibility for means-test programs like Medicaid and SSI, if the money is not spent within 12 months it will count as an asset and could affect eligibility.

Congress has temporarily extended the federal government’s largest grant program that helps states transfer people with disabilities from institutions into independent living arrangements.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced that Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will have the $1,200 COVID-19 relief checks automatically deposited in their bank accounts.

The Department of Health and Human Services will now give states the option to obtain a portion of their federal Medicaid funding via so-called "block grants," although beneficiaries with disabilities should not be directly affected.

With the Student Earned Income Exclusion, students on SSI may be able to earn additional income without jeopardizing their eligibility for benefits. ...

New federal regulations set to take effect April 1, 2020, may make it significantly harder for many with disabilities to obtain food stamps. The new rules do not include any analysis of their potential impacts on people with disabilities.

Student loan officials from seven states and the District of Columbia are calling on the federal government to automatically discharge the student loan debt of people with disabilities who are eligible. ...

To protect its workers and the public during the coronavirus pandemic, the Social Security Administration has suspended face-to-face service at its field and hearings offices, although people with severe disabilities can still get appointments.