New COVID Variant Has Unique Symptom—How to Prevent and Relieve It
Since May, a fast-growing lineage of the virus that causes COVID-19, NB.1.8.1, has been dominating in China, spreading to adjacent countries along with an increase in hospitalizations and emergency room admissions.
The variant has also spread to the United States, though case numbers are low.
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June Social Security Checks Could Drop Sharply Due To Student Loan Garnishments — Experts Share Ways To Get Relief
Retirees who have defaulted on their student loans may see a reduction in their Social Security checks from June. This is a result of the U.S. Department of Education's decision to recommence involuntary collections on defaulted student loans, including garnishing wages, intercepting tax refunds and seizing a portion of Social Security benefits. What Happened: The U.S. Department of Education is set to recommence collection activity on the nation's $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio, after a nearly five-year pause due to Covid-era policies. According to the CNBC report, the garnishments will start in June and the affected retirees may receive reduced Social Security checks from this month onwards. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — As per Forbes, several retirees could see their monthly Social Security checks reduced significantly, in some cases down to just $750. However, the actual reduction will depend on factors such as the recipient's birth date and when they began receiving benefits. However, according to Nancy Nierman, assistant director of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program in New York, borrowers have options to halt these payment offsets. Higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz states that federal student loan borrowers should have been given at least 30 days' notice before their Social Security benefits were offset. He notes that borrowers can avoid or halt the offset by proving financial hardship or having a pending loan discharge. Meanwhile, Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, suggests that opting for an income-driven repayment plan could be a way out. Borrowers with severe, permanent mental or physical disabilities that prevent them from working may qualify for a Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) discharge, using proof from a doctor, the SSA, or the VA, suggest It Matters: The resumption of involuntary collections on defaulted student loans is part of a broader trend of financial challenges facing retirees. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimates that over 450,000 federal student loan borrowers aged 62 and older may be impacted by this change. Furthermore, the resumption of student loan payments has had a significant impact on borrowers, with some seeing steep drops in their credit scores. This has created additional financial strain for retirees who are already facing the prospect of reduced Social Security benefits. As retirees navigate these financial challenges, it's important for them to explore all available resources, including charitable organizations that assist with health-care costs and food assistance programs. Additionally, retirees facing garnishments on their Social Security benefits may be able to prevent or stop the offset by proving a financial hardship or pursuing a discharge with their student loan servicer. Read Next: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — Invest before it's too late. Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Many are rushing to grab 4,000 of its pre-IPO shares for just $0.30/share! Image via Shutterstock Send To MSN: Send to MSN UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article June Social Security Checks Could Drop Sharply Due To Student Loan Garnishments — Experts Share Ways To Get Relief originally appeared on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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2 hours ago
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Kalyanaraman becomes latest to leave Maryland Department of Health
Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman testified in March on nursing home inspections to the House Health and Government Operations Committee. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters) The deputy secretary of public health services is leaving the Maryland Department of Health this week after two years serving under the Moore Administration and more than a decade in both private and public health services in Maryland, state officials confirmed Monday. Tuesday will be Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman's last day with the department. 'We thank Dr. Kalyanaraman for raising his hand to serve the people of Maryland — especially through the COVID pandemic — as a dedicated champion for public health,' according to a spokesperson for Gov. Wes Moore. His departure is the latest in a string that began in February, when then-Secretary Laura Herrera Scott left amid several controversies at the department, including oversight issues at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center, a high-security hospital that has been riddled with complaints of patient abuse and violence. Secretary Meena Seshamani, a former top official with the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, took the reins of the department in April. Just last week, Erin McCullen left her position as the department's chief of staff, a position she's held since 2023. McCullen also worked in the department in various positions from 2013 through 2017. Chase Cook also left his job last week as the department's director of communications, following several years in the position. Former CMS administrator takes helm of controversy-laden health department As the deputy secretary of public health services, Kalyanaraman has spoken on a wide variety of health and safety issues throughout the years — from heat illnesses and dental health workforce to bird flu threat levels and more. Before working with the Moore administration, Kalyanaraman served as the health officer for Anne Arundel County from September 2019 through March 2023, leading the county through the COVID-19 pandemic. 'He was a really, really good resource for the issues that we dealt with during COVID,' said Sen. Pam Beidle (D-Anne Arundel), chair of the Senate Finance Committee. 'He was always willing to do a webinar with us and our constituents. I think he did a really good job guiding our county through COVID.' Before his time in local government, Kalyanaraman served from 2012 to 2019 as the chief health officer for Baltimore-based Health Care for the Homeless, a nonprofit that provides health care and housing support to 10,000 people in the region annually. He leaves a health department that's trying to pull itself out of a series of controversies and challenges. During the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers grilled Kalyanaraman for answers about one of those controversies — a significant backlog of nursing home annual inspections. Kalyanaraman argued that the department had been making progress on the backlog of state inspections, but lawmakers remain concerned that some facilities had not received annual inspections for over four years, putting vulnerable senior citizens at risk of inadequate care. Kalyanaraman declined Monday to comment on his departure. Neither McCullen nor Cook responded to a request for comment. But McCullen said in a social media post about her departure from the health department that she was 'filled with immense gratitude for the privilege of serving alongside such dedicated public servants.' 'The experience has been invaluable, and I am forever thankful for the opportunity to contribute to the health and well-being of Marylanders alongside some of the best people you will ever meet,' she said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
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2 hours ago
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Pilot program testing tasers in Ohio's prisons; may expand statewide
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio's correction officers could soon be armed with tasers. 'This is very rushed,' policy director at Ohio Justice and Policy Center Michaela Burriss said. 'De-escalation is about communication; de-escalation is about creating safe spaces.' Stranger's sleuthing reunites Grandview Heights graduate with class ring lost 50 years ago According to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC), the conversation of arming corrections officers with tasers started in 2020. Research into the matter was put on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then started again in 2024. In May of this year, two prisons started a pilot program to test the use of tasers; now ODRC wants to see the program expanded statewide. 'Over 78% of those currently housed in the department have committed a crime of violence in their lifetime,' an ODRC spokesperson wrote in a statement. 'This means that the inmates the staff supervise are more dangerous than they have been in the past, and we want our staff to have the tools to do their jobs safely.' 'There absolutely shouldn't be a statewide expansion when we have no idea how the pilot is going to turn out,' Burriss said. How would the proposal work? This manual lays out what all must go into equipping correction officers with tasers. Officers must go through vendor approved training, and if a taser is in use, body cameras must also be in use. Unauthorized use includes someone who is already restrained and inmates younger than 14. Burriss worries that the move is premature. Police provide updates on Mifflin Township shootout suspect 'Weapons are not in prisons for a reason,' Burriss said, adding that the long-term effects of taser use have not been sufficiently studied. 'I don't have a lot of confidence that somebody isn't going to get extremely hurt or somebody isn't going to die, and that somebody may not even be the person who is incarcerated,' she said. 'Tasers are only going to beget the cycle of violence that leads to people being incarcerated in the first place.' '[O]DRC's policy allows only those officers with direct interaction with the incarcerated population to carry a taser device,' the ODRC statement reads. 'This allows the managing officer (Warden), who knows that facility best, to identify those types of posts with a second approval process by the respective regional director to review and approve whether those posts identified shall be issued taser devices.' State leaders said if ODRC says tasers in prisons are necessary, they are inclined to fund that endeavor in the state budget. 'It seems to me to be appropriate, but I'm also not an expert in terms of prisoner management and things like that,' Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said. 'But I don't, off the top of my head, have any opposition to that.' Donatos to open fully-automated pizza restaurant at John Glenn International this month 'I think that's a decision that should be made by the professionals in the field,' Gov. Mike DeWine said. 'I generally follow what their lead is, so that's about as far as I'm going to go on that.' Right now, the state budget cuts funding to ODRC over the next two years – 3% in 2026 and 4% in 2027. Burriss believes taxpayer dollars allotted to corrections should be spent in what she considers a more effective way. 'Our taxpayer money is better spent on things that we know do decrease violence in prisons and that will address those systemic problems like overcrowding and understaffing,' she said. 'Tasers are not going to rehabilitate somebody. They're not going to make somebody less likely to commit an act of violence and I think that's something we all want.' The state budget must pass by the end of June. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
