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More Stimulus Checks Being Sent To Groups of People; Do you Belong To These Programs That Provide Additional Payments?
Although an official fourth stimulus check for Americans remains a huge gamble, certain categories of individuals may be eligible for a little additional cash in their pockets.
Some states have already given out or intend to give out more relief funds to residents, but there are still more groups of people around the country who can benefit, regardless of where they live. Here's all you need to know:
Farm and food workers relief program
The USDA's Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) grant program announced $700 million in grant assistance for farm workers and food employees including meatpackers. The majority of the funds ($680 million) will be used to assist farmworkers and meatpackers with COVID-19 pandemic-related health and safety concerns.
These employees can get up to $600 stimulus payment to cover expenditures linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as any health and safety costs incurred. Personal protective equipment, childcare, and expenses connected to quarantine or testing might all be included in these costs.
Unlike past stimulus rounds, which were funded by direct payments, this one will be funded through grants to state and non-profit aid organizations. This fall, agencies will apply for the funding and must demonstrate their capacity to disburse up to $600 in stimulus checks to qualified workers.
Per MLive, it will be left to the agencies to disperse the monies after the grants are issued. Individual worker qualifications or distribution methods have yet to be revealed.
Health insurance rebates
Because of a clause in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that maintains "medical loss ratio" standards, certain Americans may be entitled for health insurance refunds. According to Yahoo! News, insurance firms are required to spend "80% of their premiums on claims and other operations of value to policyholders" under the policy.
The remaining 20% is spent on overhead - and no more than 20% of an insurance company's expenses can be spent on overhead. For big group insurance plans with 50 or more employees, 85 percent of premiums go to activities that benefit policyholders, with only 15% going to overhead.
If insurance companies fail to follow these standards, plan members are entitled to a refund in the form of a credit or a check. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the medical loss ratio in 2021 will be $2.1 billion, distributed to 10.7 million individuals.
Because the premiums are divided between the employee and the firm, those who get insurance via their employment may not be eligible for this refund.
Social security cost of living adjustment
In 2022, Social Security beneficiaries are anticipated to get a 6% cost-of-living increase. This happened after the Senior Citizens League petitioned Congress to provide a one-time $1,400 stimulus check to seniors on fixed incomes.
According to AS.com, one must be unable to work to qualify for these benefits, resulting in a fixed income. During the pandemic, supply chains were disrupted, resulting in bottlenecks that restricted the supply of goods and raised prices. Food, petrol, and clothing prices are all considerably higher than pre-pandemic levels, and seniors are beginning to feel the strain.
Related Article: New Stimulus Payments Arriving For Some; Who's Getting More Checks Through 2021?
