government aid programs

DEAR RUSTY: Does everyone need to sign up for Medicare Part A, even if you are ex-military? Or only on Medicaid, regardless of whether you are eligibl...

ASK RUSTY: I am writing to ask for your advice on when I should sign up or enroll in a Medicare Plan. I have submitted an early retirement application...

DEAR RUSTY: I am thoroughly confused. What do I need to do to continue receiving automatic Social Security deposits to my bank account, and maintain o...

HARRISBURG— Some legislators have worried that Pennsylvanians who receive federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits might b...

If the federal government wants to keep Medicare and Social Security intact for the next 75 years, it will need an extra $78.2 trillion in cash that i...

DEAR RUSTY: I am going to be 67 in a few weeks and I plan on working for another year or two. According to Social Security, they count the best 35 yea...

States and the federal government spent $4.3 billion on Medicaid for hundreds of thousands of patients who were already insured in other states, accor...

DEAR RUSTY: My wife and I are collecting Social Security. We both started receiving SS at 62 years old. That said, we get by on a tight budget. A reti...

(TNS) — Several significant policy changes affecting Social Security recipients and applicants get underway this month. One of the changes is designed...

DEAR RUSTY: Is there any way I can get out of paying the $185/month I am told will be taken out of my Social Security for Medicare Part B when I turn ...

DEAR RUSTY: If a financially well-off individual had multiple ex-spouses, could it happen that the multiple ex-spouses could each be collecting Social...

DEAR RUSTY: I'm 72 years old with 20 years of military service. I am retired collecting Social Security, my military pension and state retirement bene...

DEAR RUSTY: My wife will reach her full Social Security benefit at 66.5 years of age which is just under 2 years away for her now. If she were to begi...

DEAR RUSTY: Please explain the Medicare premium increase based on income reported to Social Security. For those of us who waited to draw Social Securi...

Medicare Advantage was supposed to save taxpayers money when it was created in 2003. Instead, it costs the government 22% more per enrollee than tradi...

DEAR RUSTY: I just learned that if I served in the military during an active-duty period, I could get extra earnings for Social Security and that thes...

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s work requirement waiver for food stamps now lasts through Aug. 31, 2025. This is despite recent urging from Republican Hou...

DEAR RUSTY: This is a matter that I find particularly irksome. My wife — a retired teacher — was told that, should I predecease her, she is not eligib...

DEAR RUSTY: I retired with a (gross) $4,600 per month Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) annuity from the U.S. Postal Service in December 2022. I ...

HARRISBURG (TNS) — Due to a glitch in the system, some Americans might receive two Social Security payments in August. And it’s a rare occasion, so fe...