Will I Still Receive Benefits During a Government Shutdown?

Depending on the program, recipients may be granted benefits for the timeframe that they have already been approved for. In other words, each state has announced a January deadline for benefits applications in order to continue helping existing cases. While several benefits are unaffected, there are limited funds for those barely staying afloat. Money is rumored to be completely exhausted for food assistance by late February or early March.

Why is This Affecting My Benefits?

Programs like SNAP, Social Security, and TANF (to name a few) are federally funded. During times of government shutdown, government employees are unable to work which means there is little-to-no assistance in local offices. Even if the funds are available, the services will slow down, causing cases to fall behind.
A shutdown also means that the federal funding to these programs is cut off. To avoid finding out what will happen when the funds run out, local government offices are attempting to supplement the funds once they’ve been depleted.

SNAP/EBT

With funding in decline, the USDA cannot take on more cases until an agreement is reached. Therefore, a deadline for SNAP/EBT and Families First applications was issued for January and has been reached. Those approved before the deadline can still receive benefits that backtrack to the date of application. However, because the local human services departments are closed or short-staffed, benefits for the month of February will be granted early (by January 20, 2019). February’s benefits will be given early to ensure that recipients still get the help they need.
Unfortunately, until the shutdown is lifted, benefits for March or any month thereafter are not guaranteed. This means recipients will have to stretch those benefits and pinch pennies to afford necessities until further notice.

Do I Need to Spend Benefit Money Now?

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is expecting a high amount of SNAP/EBT transactions throughout the remainder of the month. At the moment stores are still accepting these funds, but the concern is of how long this will last and what happens when the funds run out but there is still money on the card. For now, there is no definite answer since funds are there and state governments are making efforts to maintain the balance.

HUD

The Department of Housing and Urban Development relies on reserved funding for times like this. It should have enough to stay afloat for a month-long shutdown. There are areas in which offices are partially closed. While some landlords await payment, tenants await assistance, and other applicants are left in limbo, these are the offices that remain open during a government shutdown:

  • Public Housing Authorities (PIH/PHA) and their websites
  • The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO)
  • The Federal Housing Administration within the Office of Housing (FHA)
  • Office of the Inspector General (OIG)

For details on each office’s role in HUD and how they operate during a shutdown, click here.

Which Benefits are Not Affected?

The following will not be affected by the shutdown:

How Can I Stay Informed if Offices are Closed?

The USDA typically oversees FNS activity and gave useful information for as long as possible. Unfortunately, a lack of funding has caused the website to pause its regular flow of updated information. The USDA’s site contains general information about the efforts to aid in SNAP/EBT funding.
Other .com sites have taken over the regular updates to provide program information as the shutdown continues. Click here to see recent news about SNAP/EBT and how it may affect existing cases.
For more local information about an individual state’s status, visit the state or county’s Department of Human/Social/Health Services website.

3 Qualities All Great Life Coaches Share

Life coaches often vary greatly when you examine their educational and professional backgrounds. There are those who feel a calling when it comes to coaching, but there are also those who are considering life coaching as a side profession to expand their skillset. Regardless of where you fall under, all great coaches use their professional experience, knowledge, and skills from completing their Certified Life Coach training program in addition to their born talents and gifts.

If you are interested in becoming a professional life coach, it will benefit you greatly to learn precisely what the most successful life coaches have that sets them apart from the rest. Disregarding training, there are particular innate traits that many great life coaches share. These traits were not adopted by a training program or mentor, but instead, originated from a coach’s personality.

If you’re concerned that you don’t have what it takes to make a great life coach, do not worry!

Most of the qualities of successful life coaches can be adopted through disciplined practice, it may take time, but it is still entirely possible to obtain. While the following are a few examples of the qualities that great life coaches share, they are countless other skills and traits that many successful life coaches use to effectively help clients reach their goals and obtain a successful life coach practice.

The Following Are 3 Personal Traits That Several Successful Life Coaches Share:


Life Coach Quality #1 – Sincere Curiosity

A good life coach will have a genuine interest in people and the world as a whole. When you go into something with curiosity as the forefront, you create countless opportunities to grow and learn, for both your clients and yourself. Curiosity is the driving force that is responsible for provocative questions while simultaneously allowing the possibility of new and unorthodox pathways for understanding.

Curiosity also plays a role in becoming a better listener for your clients. If you can hush your drive to teach to make room for your client’s concerns through better listening, you will discover that you are suddenly able to ask more practical questions to your clients.

Life Coach Quality #2 – Empathy

Dictionary.com defines empathy as “to refer to the capacity or ability to imagine oneself in the situation of another, experiencing the emotions, ideas, or opinions of that person.”

A great life coach needs to be able to empathize with their clients through a genuine connection. This will make clients more comfortable revealing their situation by eliminating or reducing any feelings involving embarrassment or shame. Creating this personal connection is completely fundamental if you wish to create a trusting relationship between a coach and a client.

Life Coach Quality #3 – A Real Desire To Help Others

While life coaching can certainly be profitable, it is necessary for life coaches to hold a genuine passion for helping other people which includes the desire to help clients improve in major areas their lives. Due to the limitless opportunities to help clients make their dreams become realities, there is an enormous amount of potential for personal and professional satisfaction to a life coach.


Do you have any of the above qualities that most successful life coaches share?

Do you see yourself striving to adopt these qualities so you can help your clients more effectively?

Becoming a professional life coach can open the door to a career that offers satisfaction, challenge, and the opportunity to create a positive and long-lasting impact on people’s lives. Through our Online Life Coach Certification Programs, you will be prepared to not only help people create future life goals, but achieve them.

When you also consider the personal qualities of curiosity, empathy, and compassion, there is an unlimited amount of potential to create a life of personal and professional satisfaction through life coaching.

what you need to know about a truck accident in san diego, ca

If you have experienced a personal injury in California and were declared at fault or a victim, then it is critical for you to comprehend personal injury law about your situation. When regarding personal injury accidents involving trucks, there are strict procedures that require your compliance so that the necessary measures are taken to enforce success in the courtroom.  In the state of California, your case will only be reviewed for up to two years since the date of the accident, so it is essential you don’t hesitate to contact a personal injury lawyer to ensure you collect any possible compensation for your losses by the deadline. There is also an evaluation concerning the percentage of fault which his used to determine culpability which allows those to calculate the quantifiable damages from the incident. If the parties were partially at fault, it would be accounted for when the judgment is decided.  Due to the compound nature of these calculations that come with truck accidents and the accompanying lawsuits, it is highly recommended to seek legal counsel for any upcoming legal affair related to truck accidents. The most optimal method for determining a qualified personal injury lawyer that will assist you in your legal affairs is to assess multiple legal attorneys from varying firms to identify the attorney that best fits your upcoming legal case. Scheduling consultations with these different personal injury attorneys are the best method of determining which is right for you; the consultation will allow the personal injury lawyer to review the details of your case and discuss whether you should be pursuing legal action and if so, the most efficient way to obtain success in the courtroom. During this time, the attorney will be able to decide whether they are qualified to represent your particular case and offer you a retainer agreement if they choose to take your case. If you agree to this retainer, there will be a representation fee until your case is completed. If you have recently suffered from an accident involving trucking where injuries were sustained and live in the San Diego area, do not hesitate to contact Yasmine Djawadian, a San Diego truck accident attorney. She is an expert in personal injury and has successfully represented numerous clients helping them resolve their legal affairs with peace of mind.