Category: Public Policy & Service Access
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HUD’s Homelessness Competition Was Vacated. Social Work Must Use the Reset to Demand Evidence
The federal homelessness funding system is in an unusual pause. On August 7, 2026, a federal district court vacated the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s fiscal year 2026 Continuum of Care competition because the agency had not completed the notice and comment process required for major changes. HUD now says the former August 26…
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A Universal Government Login Is Not Access Unless People Can Complete It
On August 31, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget directed federal agencies toward a universal sign on through Login.gov for most public services that require authentication. The goal is understandable. People should not have to prove the same identity repeatedly, remember a collection of passwords, or navigate different systems simply because public benefits and…
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Healthy Aging Requires Practical Support, and Social Work Should Help Deliver It
Healthy Aging Month is an opportunity to examine what makes everyday independence possible. Advice about exercise, nutrition, and social connection becomes more useful when people have the resources to act on it. Social work should help identify and address the practical conditions that turn a reasonable recommendation into an achievable part of daily life. In…
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The AmeriCorps Settlement Gives Social Work Agencies a Reason to Plan for Service Continuity
A funding dispute can become a service problem long before a community organization closes its doors. Staff must decide whether to recruit, supervisors must plan assignments, and residents need to know whether the help they depend on will remain available. The AmeriCorps settlement announced September 10 offers a timely reason for social work agencies to…
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Eviction Prevention Is Social Work. Portland’s New Plan Shows Where the Profession Belongs.
A tenant facing eviction may need a lawyer, money to cover overdue rent, help gathering documents, and someone who can coordinate those steps before a deadline expires. Social work belongs in that response. The profession should help build the systems that preserve housing while people still have it. Portland’s recent procurement offers a concrete starting…
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Vermont’s $11.7 Million Rural Care Investment Needs Social Workers at the Center
On September 10, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced $11.7 million for rural health care in Vermont. The investment could expand access and strengthen fragile services. It will fall short, however, if workforce planning treats social workers as peripheral to rural care. The initiative includes $9 million in tuition benefits for health…
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CMS Found $3.4 Billion in Suspected Equipment Fraud. Stop Treating Beneficiaries as the Problem
On September 8, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced action against 11 medical equipment suppliers associated with more than $3.4 billion in suspected improper billing during 2025 and 2026. The scale of the alleged scheme should change how social workers talk about program integrity. Fraud in public benefits is often framed as…
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35 States Have Joined the Social Work Compact. Workers Still Cannot Use It.
The Social Work Licensure Compact has achieved an impressive legislative count. By July 2026, 35 states had enacted compact legislation. Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Alaska were among the latest additions, and bills remained pending elsewhere. For advocates who spent years persuading legislatures that social workers should not have to repeat the same licensing process every…
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The Education Department Is Appealing the PSLF Ruling. Social Workers Should Not Plan on Legal Stability
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness dispute moved back into active litigation on August 27, 2026, when the U.S. Department of Education filed notice that it would appeal a federal decision vacating its new employer-eligibility rule. The appeal, reported by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators on August 28, will go to the U.S.…
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Pennsylvania’s 41-Point Behavioral Health Plan Will Fail Without Workforce Reform
Pennsylvania released a statewide behavioral-health action plan on August 5, 2026, after nearly three years of work by a 33-member council, a 25-member advisory committee, and more than 100 consulted residents and stakeholders across all 67 counties. The plan contains 41 recommendations and roughly 200 implementation steps organized around integration, access, workforce, accountability, equity, and…