Dear John,
In case you missed it...this week the Voices for Human Needs blog reports on the "disability marriage penalty," a series of antiquated Social Security rules that discourages millions of Americans from getting married, lest they lose their SSI or Medicaid benefits. And we examine how one family benefited from the Child Tax Credit expansion -- while it lasted. Finally, we release CHN's latest COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship, a by-the-numbers look at how the pandemic is affecting our country's most vulnerable people Please share!
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This week on the blog...
'Til death do they part?' Not for some Americans with disabilities
February 18
Five years ago, Lori Long’s boyfriend asked her to marry him. For Lori, it was a dream come true. She has a significant disability – an autoimmune system that results in painful fractures in her spine, frequently leading to expensive hospital stays. Given her condition, she wasn’t sure she would ever marry. And now, five years later, Lori and her boyfriend, Mark Contreras, are still waiting. Not long after her engagement, she learned that marrying her fiancé, who does not have a disability, would mean completely losing her Social Security disability benefits as well as Medicaid. READ MORE »
Why are we torching our best tool to end child poverty?
February 18
Ada Mae’s beautiful blonde curls are wild on this sunny, mild winter afternoon. I’ve just picked her up from the homeschool co-op that supplements the first-grade lessons we’ve been doing at home, and we’re hanging out at the park. This is my favorite time of the week, watching her play with other kids. But I’m also remembering my own childhood — cold Missouri winters without boots, hats, or mittens. The grind of poverty was tough on my family, and that trauma pursued me into adulthood. I would do anything to keep my child from that fate, but we’ve had our close calls. READ MORE »
CHN's COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship
February 18
The inflation inequality edition. Daily COVID-19 cases in the U.S. continue to drop dramatically, as do hospitalizations. Deaths – finally – are following this trend, down significantly over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, here at home inflation rages at breakneck speed. While inflation is rising everywhere, affecting every income bracket, price hikes are particularly devastating to lower-income households with already tight budgets. READ MORE »
Coalition on Human Needs
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