The eviction moratorium has ended, but there are still legal and financial resources available.
We brought together Juan Hernandez, Staff Attorney, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy and Erin Barbee, Senior Vice President Programs & Fund Development, DreamKey Partners, to answer common questions and share helpful information for community members facing eviction.
Find a copy of the presentation and links to key resources here.
Apply online at des.nc.gov or by phone 1-888-737-0259. The quickest way to apply is online.
DES has a high volume of callers requiring assistance due to COVID-19. Document any attempts to contact DES by phone. DES is working to improve this issue.
Self-employed, independent contractors, gig workers and others who did not traditionally qualify for North Carolina unemployment insurance and were receiving unemployment benefits through Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) will no longer be eligible for unemployment after September 4, 2021.
Weekly certifications must be submitted on the DES website for every week you have filed for unemployment, including any weeks you are awaiting eligibility from DES. Failing to submit weekly certifications will delay benefit payment.
If your DES claim shows your claim is “pending” this means that DES is still assessing your eligibility for unemployment insurance. Continue to submit weekly certifications during this time.
Visit the DES COVID-19 help website or review helpful resources available after the Federal Pandemic Unemployment benefit ends on September 4, 2021.
Preventive health services are included in every Healthcare.gov plan and are free. They are routine health care procedures such as screenings, check-ups, and counseling to prevent illness and other health problems.
All Healthcare.gov plans are required to cover preventive health services 100%. This means that insurance companies cannot charge you a copay or coinsurance to get this type of medical attention. For example, an annual check-up, immunizations, children’s vision screenings, contraception and well-woman visits are free. You’ll just need to show your health insurance card at your doctor’s office. Get specific lists of preventive services for adults, women and children.
Preventive services are free only when you get them from a doctor or other provider in your plan’s network. (A network is the facilities, providers and suppliers your health insurance company has contracted with to provide health care services.) Talk to your doctor about taking advantage of these free services to keep you and your family healthy.
To understand your plan better, and to be prepared in case of illness or an emergency, read the Summary of Benefits and Coverage that comes with your plan. Log in to your Healthcare.gov account or call your health insurance company to get a copy.
This document will give you a snapshot of your possible costs throughout the year and includes examples of common medical events. For example, it will explain how much a hospital visit or prescription drugs will cost you.
You can get health care at many different places, including the emergency department when you’re injured or very sick. But it’s best to get regular care from a primary care provider (often a doctor at a family medicine clinic). Primary care providers work with you to make sure that you get the right services, manage your chronic conditions and improve your health and well-being. It might take more than one visit to figure out if a provider is right for you, so it’s important to be proactive and start your search now.
If you aren’t sure how to find a doctor in your area, your health insurance company’s website is a good place to start. If you have a health insurance plan in the Charlotte area, use the following provider search tools:
Or, if you know of a doctor that a friend or family member recommended to you, you can call that doctor’s office to see if they accept your health insurance plan. Remember, your care will be a lot cheaper if you go to a doctor in your health plan’s network.
Check out this guide for more great tips on how to make your health insurance work for you.
By Niayai Lavien
Many homeowners are facing increased financial hardships due to unemployment and COVID-19. Scammers are taking advantage of the current economic fallout of the pandemic and employing elaborate scams to trick homeowners out of their properties. Older adults and the economically disadvantaged are more likely to be targets of these abusive practices.
The CDC’s federal eviction and foreclosure moratorium ends on July 31, 2021. The moratorium allows individuals and families living in federally financed properties to stay in their homes throughout the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also allows families to receive financial assistance to stay current on their rent and mortgage payments.
With the moratorium ending, consumers, especially homeowners, should know their options and learn how to prevent themselves from being scammed.
A foreclosure rescue scam is when a scammer tricks a homeowner into signing away ownership of their home for dramatically less than its current worth. Scammers often target homeowners who are in the middle of foreclosure by promising that they can stop a foreclosure from happening while hiding the fact that the homeowner is signing over title to the property.
Scammers search public records to prey on homeowners who are in danger of foreclosure through failure to pay property taxes, mortgage or homeowners association dues. They also look for older homeowners who have paid off their mortgage, but have trouble with the financial upkeep of their home.
Whatever the particular factors surrounding a homeowner’s situation, the scammer’s goal is to steal the home’s dollar while a person is in a high pressure situation.
Don’t → Fall for unsolicited offers to buy your home or help you sell your home without any cost.
Don’t → Make a decision regarding your home without getting a second opinion.
Don’t → Be pressured into signing any papers until you’ve talked with an attorney.
Do → Consult with a HUD approved counseling agency to talk about your options.
Do → Be wary of out-of-state law firms, organizations and groups offering to provide assistance.
Do → Contact Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy’s Consumer Protection Team for assistance at 704-376-1600.
As a consumer on the Health Insurance Marketplace (Healthcare.gov), you have the right to appeal decisions that are not in your favor. There are two types of appeals. The first is an appeal of a Marketplace decision (generally a decision on your eligibility to purchase a plan on Healthcare.gov). The second is an appeal of an insurance company’s decision (usually a decision of whether the company will cover a particular drug or surgery).
You have the right to appeal any of the following decisions:
Important note about eligibility appeals: If the Marketplace says that you are ineligible to buy a plan on Healthcare.gov, you have 90 days to appeal. Learn more about filing an eligibility appeal here.
Fill out appeal forms online here. If you want a family member or another person to represent you in your appeal, find out how to appoint an authorized representative here. After you have submitted your appeal, you can check on the status of your appeal by calling the Marketplace Appeals Hotline (855-231-1751).
How we can help: A Health Insurance Navigator can help you gather information to file your appeal, and our staff can represent you in your appeal at no cost.
If your health insurance company refuses to pay for a procedure or a medication, you have the right to appeal. Your health insurance company is required to let you know why they denied coverage, and they must provide you with information on how to appeal.
There are two types of insurance company appeals: Internal appeals and external reviews.
Internal appeals are reviewed by the health insurance company itself. You can file a request for coverage (also known as a claim) either before or after receiving medical attention. If your health insurance company denies coverage of your claim, you must file your appeal within six months of receiving notice that your claim was denied. Follow the instructions that the insurance company includes with their denial. Click here for more information on internal appeals.
External reviews are the last option to appeal an insurance company’s denial (outside of the legal system), and they are processed by the North Carolina Department of Insurance. External reviews in NC are free. You can reach the Department of Insurance at 855-408-1212, or you can visit their website to request an external review. Click here for more information on external reviews.
Health Insurance Navigators can help you appeal a health insurance company decision and navigate the appeal process with the NC Department of Insurance.
To get free help from a Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy Health Insurance Navigator, call 980-256-3782. You can also book an appointment by visiting ncnavigator.net.
Starting July 1, 2021, individuals may be eligible for additional savings and lower costs on their 2021 Healthcare.gov (Health Insurance Marketplace) plan if they received, or were determined eligible to receive, unemployment compensation in 2021.
What does this mean for you?
If you or your spouse received unemployment income for at least one week in 2021, your whole household may be eligible for a higher tax credit that may cover your monthly premium in full, regardless of your household’s income. In addition, you may be eligible for higher cost-sharing reductions to lower your deductible, copays and out of pocket costs if you select, or currently have, a Silver plan on Healthcare.gov. (See the difference between Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum plans in our Basic Health Insurance Terms blog post.)
What do I need to do?
If you are currently enrolled in a Healthcare.gov plan, and you or your spouse received at least one week of unemployment compensation in 2021, you must report a change on your Healthcare.gov application and add unemployment compensation as part of your income. Even if you already reported that you received (or are receiving) unemployment, you will need to update your application to get these enhanced benefits. You can reselect your current plan or change plans if you want to.
If you are not enrolled in a Healthcare.gov plan, you can apply to see if you qualify for these enhanced subsidies under the Special Open Enrollment Period open now through Aug. 15, 2021. (If you complete an application and select a plan before July 31, 2021, your plan will start on Aug. 1, 2021.) See the Get Covered section of our website to learn more and book an appointment with a Health Insurance Navigator.
If I only received one week of unemployment and I have no income now, would I still qualify?
Yes! You may be eligible to receive enhanced benefits even if you have no income at the moment and your unemployment compensation already expired.
**Updated October 15, 2021. Original Post June 25, 2021.**
There have been important changes to the Child Tax Credit (CTC) that will help many families receive advance payments this summer. In order to receive the new credit, you may need to take some steps to ensure you get the funds. Families who are filing taxes and do not currently receive the Child Tax Credit must take action before October 15, 2021, otherwise you will have to wait to receive the credit when you file your taxes in 2022. If your family does not earn enough to file taxes, and you want to get the child tax credit in monthly payments now, you must enroll online by November 15, 2021.
The CTC is a tax credit that taxpayers can get for each qualifying dependent child on their tax return. A tax credit directly reduces the amount of taxes you owe, giving you a dollar-for-dollar reduction of your tax liability. The CTC in 2021 is a fully refundable tax credit, meaning that eligible families can receive it, even if they owe no federal income tax. Before this year, the refundable portion of the CTC was limited to $1,400 per child.
The American Rescue Plan has expanded the CTC for the 2021 tax year. These changes will only apply for the 2021 tax year. The CTC has been revised in the following ways:
Is My Family Eligible for the Credit?
Your family qualifies for the credit if:
To Qualify
Filers must have had a 2019 or 2020 adjusted gross income below the following levels to qualify for the full monthly payment:
What to Expect
Eligibility is Determined from 2020 or 2019 Tax Returns
Filers who have filed a return in either 2019 or 2020 will not need to do anything. The IRS will take the information from those tax returns to determine eligibility for the advanced CTC payments. The IRS will only use a 2019 return if a 2020 return has not been filed or is otherwise unavailable to use.
What about Filers who don’t regularly file taxes?
Filers who have not filed for 2019/2020 may register online with the IRS simplified sign-up tool. This tool will allow non-regular filers to provide the IRS with the basic information needed to determine if they qualify for the CTC.
Who should unenroll?
Instead of receiving the advanced monthly payments, some families may prefer to wait until the end of the year to receive the entire credit as a refund when they file their 2021 tax return.
The unenroll feature may also be helpful to some families that no longer qualify for the Child Tax Credit or believes they will not qualify when they file their 2021 tax return. This could happen if, for example:
What About Immigrant Families?
You can apply for and receive a tax credit with NO negative effect on any immigration application you might file. Immigration does NOT ask about tax credits or consider them negatively in your immigration application process.
Is a Social Security Number Needed to be Eligible for the CTC?
Parents are not required to have a social security number to be eligible for the CTC. However, parents must have an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to claim the CTC for their eligible children.
Do Children need to have a Social Security Number to Qualify for the CTC?
Yes. The CTC is only available for children 17 years and younger with social security numbers.
What about Dependent College Students?
Dependent college children who are under the age of 24 at the end of the tax year, who are full-time students for at least five months of the year, and who are younger than the tax filer may be considered a qualifying child for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is a tax break that helps low to moderate-income taxpayers.
For more information, visit the IRS EITC page: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit-eitc.
Additionally, dependent college children may be claimed for a $500 non-refundable tax credit as an Other Dependent Child. Claiming an Other Dependent Child will not affect advance CTC payments but may affect a qualifying filer’s 2021 tax return.
How to Receive CTC Payments?
The IRS is calculating this payment based on the most recent of 2020 and 2019 returns. Potentially qualifying filers should file their tax return as soon as possible to receive the CTC. Filers who have not filed for 2019/2020 may register online with the IRS simplified sign-up tool. Families who are not currently receiving the Child Tax Credit must take action before October 15, 2021, otherwise you will have to wait to receive the credit when you file your taxes in 2022.
Advanced CTC Payment Options
How to update direct deposit information
To update direct deposit information, families should use the Child Tax Credit Update Portal to provide the IRS with their most recent bank account information to receive their monthly payments.
To change the bank account receiving the advanced payments, update the routing number, account number and indicate whether this is a savings or checking account. The advanced payments will start going to this updated account August 13.
It is important to note that the advanced payments can only be direct deposited into one account.
How to switch from paper check to direct deposit
The Child Tax Credit Update Portal will indicate whether families are enrolled to receive their advanced payments by direct deposit. If they are not enrolled to receive their advanced payments by direct deposit, they will receive a check each month.
To receive the advanced payments by direct deposit, they can use the Child Tax Credit Update Portal to add their bank account information. The Update Portal will need their routing number, account number, and indicate if this is a savings or checking account.
The IRS urges any family receiving checks to consider switching to direct deposit. With direct deposit, families can access their money more quickly and eliminates the chance of a stolen, lost, or undelivered check.
Watch Out for Scams
The IRS urges everyone to be on the lookout for scams relating the advanced CTC payments. The only way for eligible families to get the advanced CTC payments is to have filed a tax return with the IRS or registered online through the non-filers signup tool, which can only be done on the IRS.gov website. These are the only two ways to get the advanced CTC payments; any other option is a scam.
People who receive emails, phone calls, or text messages related to advanced payments should be cautious. The IRS never sends electronic communications, which were not requested, to anyone asking them to open attachments or visit non-governmental websites.
For more information on how to protect yourself from scams, visit the IRS Tax Scams page. This webpage provides information on how scammers might target you to obtain your personal information or money.
We are still waiting on additional details from the IRS and will update our website with more information. For more information about the CTC, visit the IRS advanced CTC 2021 page at IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021 or their FAQ page.
This decision is wonderful news for Charlotte Center of Legal Advocacy and the people it serves as the ACA has helped make health care accessible to millions of uninsured Americans since 2010.
More than 31 million Americans rely on the ACA for affordable coverage that provides free preventive care, protection for pre-existing conditions and a ban on lifetime caps for insurance benefits, along with the peace of mind that comes with being insured.
Access to health care is essential for all people as efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic continue. This decision ensures that access without disrupting our healthcare system at a time when care is needed most.
For those who have coverage through the ACA, this decision does not change current plans. Those who are uninsured or interested in changing their health plan can still sign up for 2021 coverage through August 15 using the Special Open Enrollment Period. Financial assistance to pay for coverage is still available.
The Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy’s health insurance navigators provide free, unbiased assistance to anyone who needs help signing up for coverage or understanding their options. For more information, visit charlottelegaladvocacy.org/getcovered.
All Healthcare.gov plans are required to cover preventive health services 100%. Additionally, these plans are required to include 10 types of health services—called Essential Health Benefits. Keep reading to learn more about these services below.
Preventive health services are routine health care procedures, like screenings, check-ups and counseling to prevent illness, disease and other health problems.
This means that insurance companies cannot charge you a copay or coinsurance to get this type of medical attention. For example, immunizations, children’s vision screenings, contraception and well-woman visits are free. Get specific lists of preventive services for adults, women and children.
Preventive services are free only when you get them from a doctor or other provider in your plan’s network. (A network is the facilities, providers and suppliers your health insurance company has contracted with to provide health care services.) Talk to your doctor about taking advantage of these free services to keep you and your family healthy.
While most of these services won’t be free, plans will pay for at least a portion of the costs of these services.
Learn more here: https://www.healthcare.gov/coverage/what-marketplace-plans-cover/
Healthcare.gov plans are required to help pay for mental health services like counseling and psychotherapy. Healthcare.gov plans can’t put yearly or lifetime dollar limits on coverage of mental health services.
Additionally, some mental health services are completely free. For example, alcohol abuse screening and counseling, as well as depression screening, are free for adults. And behavioral health assessments are free for children at no cost. You can find more free preventive services for adults and children on Healthcare.gov.
To find out how much of the cost of mental health services is covered by your health insurance plan, look at the Summary of Benefits and Coverage. This document is available in your Healthcare.gov account, or you can call your health insurance company to get a copy. When you’re shopping for a health insurance plan and know that you will want to use mental health services, make sure you compare the Summary of Benefits and Coverage documents of each plan.
To find a therapist or other mental health professional in the Charlotte area, you can use the Bright Health provider search tool or the Blue Cross Blue Shield provider search tool (tip: search “psychology” or “psychiatry”).