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Senator Calls On Feds To Address Autism Wandering
The federal government would provide free electronic tracking devices for children with autism and other developmental disabilities who are prone to wandering under a proposed new law. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said he is introducing legislation this week to allocate…
What is the effect of having multiple SS numbers?
A FRIEND worked for a company for about 13 years. While in that company, his employer religiously remitted his social security (SS) contributions. He then moved to another company, which issued a new SS number to him and also reported…
Medicare Fraud Prosecutions Set Record for Health Care Fraud
The Justice Department’s Medicare Fraud Strike Force has set record numbers for health care prosecutions in Fiscal Year 2013, demonstrating the targeted and coordinated approach remains strong as the strike force enters its eighth year of fighting fraud against the…
Fitness Pay for Play: Monetary Incentives Encourage Corporate Wellness
Corporate wellness programs can help reduce healthcare expenses, but will employees actually use them? To enhance the effectiveness of these programs, a growing number of companies are offering monetary incentives for participation. A cash payment or reduction in the employee’s health…
25 Conditions Added to Compassionate Allowances List for Disability Benefits
The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) addition of 25 new conditions to its Compassionate Allowances (CAL) program this month is critical for individuals with those conditions who are seeking Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, according to Allsup, a nationwide SSDI representation…
Medicare Advantage at risk for seniors and disabled
Nearly 15 million seniors and people with disabilities are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan in this country. That number adds up to almost one third of the total Medicare population. Some provisions in the new Affordable Care Act (ACA), if…
Legislation would exempt social security benefits from R.I. income tax
A Republican state lawmaker wants Rhode Island to join the majority of states that exempt social security benefits from the local income tax. Rep. Patricia Morgan, R-West Warwick, says the proposal would encourage the some 60,000 elderly residents that currently pay taxes…
Retirement plans for small business owners
Americans ages 55 to 64 are fast becoming entrepreneurs. In fact, the share of new entrepreneurs in that age group grew from 14.3% to 23.4% from 1996 to 2012, according to the 2013 Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity. And if you’re…
Medicare’s doc fix insanity
Seniors are likely unaware that, until a few days before Christmas, they were on the verge of losing access to physicians on New Year’s Eve. If Congress had not acted, Medicare’s fees paid to physicians would have dropped by one quarter overnight,…
South Africa’s Welfare Success Story II: Poverty-Reducing Social Grants
Despite being a middle-income country, by international standards South Africa has an extensive and progressively targeted social security system. But is the scheme genuinely contributing to declining levels of poverty and inequality in the country? And what of the concerns…