Should you keep your house?
This calculator allows you to compute how long it will be before a house that is now underwater will be worth what is currently owed on it.
Car Insurance Company Tricks
Do not be fooled by a seemingly sympathetic insurance company. They are looking out for their own best interests, not yours! Our experienced attorneys will help you avoid the COSTLY MISTAKES many people make after an accident.
2011 Bankruptcy Filing Fee Increase
Bankruptcy filing fees are scheduled to go up on November 1, 2011. The fee to file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is increasing from $299 to $306. The fee to file a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy is increasing from $274 to $281. The last increase was on April 9, 2006.
FoodShare (Food Stamps) in Wisconsin
Food Stamps are called FoodShare in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department Of Health Services (DHS) administers the program. FoodShare provides financial support for low-income families and individuals to buy nutritious foods. The amount of FoodShare benefits you receive is based on the number of people in your household and your total net monthly income. The DHS defines a household as people who live together and buy food and prepare meals together. To be eligible for FoodShare you must be a U.S. Citizen or in the United State legally.
To apply for FoodShare online visit ACCESS. To do it over the phone or in person contact your local agency. To find your local agency call 1-800-362-3002 or click here. You can download and review the FoodShare application here.
If you are eligible for the program your benefits will start within 30 days of applying. If you are not eligible you will get notice stating so within 30 days. There is an appeals process if you believe you were unfairly denied.
In certain urgent circumstances benefits are started within seven days of applying. You are eligible for expedited benefits if your household has $100 or less available in cash or in the bank and
- Expects to receive less than $150 of income this month; or
- Has rent/mortgage or utility costs that are more than your total gross monthly income, available cash or bank accounts for this month; or
- Includes a migrant or season farm worker whose income has stopped
After you are accepted into the program you will receive a Wisconsin QUEST card. Your benefits will be credited to the card every month. The card works like a check card. Your social security number determines the day of the month your benefits are credited to the card.
FoodShare Wisconsin – A Recipe For Good Health
You can use your card at farmers markets and at grocery stores that have the Quest sign. Benefits can be used to by foods such as:
- Breads and cereals
- Fruits and vegetables
- Meats, fish and poultry
- Dairy products
- Seeds and plants to grow food for your family to eat.
You cannot use your benefits to buy the following.
- Nonfood items
- Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes or tobacco
- Food that will be eaten in the store
- Hot foods (example; food that is purchased and cooked at the store)
FoodShare Statistics
14.4% of the 5.7 million people in Wisconsin receive FoodShare.
55% of the recipients are female and 45% are male.
57% are adults and 43% are minors.
Stop Utility Shutoffs
Throughout the winter families are forced to dig into their pockets for additional expenses. Among those expenses are rising utility bills. When facing the cold weather Wisconsin residents should know that they are legally protected against winter utility shutoffs. According to the Wisconsin Administrative Code customers may enter into a deferred payment plan that allows customers to avoid service disconnections. Under this plan utilities cannot be shut off when a customer pays a reasonable amount of the balance in installments.
Even when a deferred payment plan cannot be maintained certain circumstances prevent a utility company from disconnecting a customer’s utility service. The following are examples.
- When a customer is unable to pay between November 1st and April 15th if the utility is necessary for a heating system.
- During a heat advisory declared by the National Weather Service.
- When the shut-off would cause a medical emergency or interfere with protective services.
- When the disconnection is a result of a utility company knowingly assisting a landlord in the removal or eviction of a tenant.
Customers who are involved in a dispute with their utility company can file a complaint with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (“PSC”). The PSC assists residents who are unable to directly resolve disputes with their utility company by allowing them to file a complaint with a Consumer Specialist. The complaint may be filed by telephone, letter or through a form that can be found on the PSC website.
If you do not fall into one of the exceptions above and are facing a utility shut off you may be able to keep your power on by filing bankruptcy. The balance owed on the day you file bankruptcy will be discharged in the bankruptcy. You however are responsible to pay for any services after that time. Most utility companies will turn your power on and then require that a deposit be paid within 20 days to keep the service on. The deposit can be as high as two or three months of peak service.
