retirement stimulus check (Photo: AARP)
The Social Security Expansion Act proposed a $200 monthly increase for recipients; fourth stimulus checks will be sent to seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families. Veterans, people 65 and older, and people who already get social payments are automatically eligible. As long as both parents have ITINs and their children have SSNs, family members with Social Security numbers can get help, even if the parents aren’t qualified.
States that have agreed to increase assistance
According to MARCA, since COVID-19, many U.S. states are putting in place financial support measures. California gives one-time checks from $600 to $1,200 to people who make less than $75,000 a year, and Arizona gives $2,000 a year to people who are going back to work. Additionally, Colorado gives $375 to people who have recently lost their jobs, and Maine gives $285 to people who have been affected by disasters, along with $850 checks to fight inflation. Maryland gives $500 to families and $300 to people who filed for the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2019. Missouri gives $250 to help employees who work in mental health, nursing homes, and prisons. Low-income groups in New Mexico that don’t qualify for government aid get a one-time check for $700, and people who lost their jobs because of the pandemic in New York can get a one-time payment of $3,200 to $15,600 each. By giving $1,200 to $2,000 to field workers through the Hazard Pay Grant Program, Vermont shows how different regions can work together to lessen the effects on the economy.
