SSI Questions

[Mary Jo]

Anybody here know anything about SSI?
I have a friend who gets SSI not because she's physically disabled but because she's slightly nuts because of decades of drug (all legal like sleeping pills, tranquilizers, pain meds, etc.) abuse.
She's never really worked and is now divorced, no kids. She started getting SSI and food stamps after the divorce. Of course she didn't tell them about the alimony or the half of his retirement plan that she got. Ex was always late with alimony so she made a deal with him. She got $50,000, he no longer has to pay alimony. She just got a letter from SSI threatening to cut her off if she doesn't provide financials in 30 days. She's freaking.
I told her since she was declared unfit to work not to worry and just provide financials. She'll probably continue getting SSI. Any body here know anything about this?
I must admit that I am a bit conflicted about this. She legally can't get food stamps with that much money in the bank and I'm upset that she lied . The food stamps aren't really that much. Can they take away her SSI and medicare? She has been declared permanently unable to work. It's th SSI and medicare that would really impact her. I feel sorry for her in some ways but then again I work full time and have insurance and she's getting more than I get plus has better benefits.
BTW if she gets all this taken away from her I will absolutely not let her live here with me because she expects everybody to wait on her and can get mean when high.

[Bahet]

Yes she can lose it. She committed fraud. She can not only lose it, she could be forced to return what she received and be prosecuted.

[Jenefer3]

Yes she can lose it. She committed fraud. She can not only lose it, she could be forced to return what she received and be prosecuted.

Yep, what she said.

[sunniekiss]

She lied & committed fraud. From what I recall with my SSI, I could only have $3,000 is assets, this includes any cars you own but not your home.
They DO check & verify so if she was recieving alimony and not reporting that income to SSI & to food stamps, she can be in a whole heck of alot of trouble, especially if she is sitting on $50,000.
Now while I am eligeable to receive SSI, I can only make $900 monthly & I do make slightly over that.

[sunniekiss]

A question...how old is she?

[Mary Jo]

She is 56 and has only been getting it for maybe 5 years.
What do you think they would do to her? She's too frigging nuts to go to jail.
In a way I feel sorry for her but in another way I would like to see her get nailed. She doesn't own a house or a car.
I'm pretty poor and there's been times when food stamps, etc. would have helped me and my daughter but when I applied I was turned down because I was honest.

[Anig2u]

Did she get the alimony payment & retirement payment before she was awarded the SSI?

[vicky122]

In Il. You can not have more then 2,000. And I think you can lose the benifits. My son was just won his ssi/ssd and they told us the back pay has to be gone in 6 mos. and he couldn't have more then 2,000.

[Bliss]

She is 56 and has only been getting it for maybe 5 years.
What do you think they would do to her? She's too frigging nuts to go to jail.In a way I feel sorry for her but in another way I would like to see her get nailed. She doesn't own a house or a car.
I'm pretty poor and there's been times when food stamps, etc. would have helped me and my daughter but when I applied I was turned down because I was honest.


She's not to "frigging nuts" to go to jail. Prison is where she'd be going for a while if convicted.

[gmyers]

I know they made us sign a paper saying if we weren't honest we could be prosecuted when we filled out the paperwork. And the man that worked for social security that we talked to stressed it was a crime to lie on the forms.

[iluvmybaby]

Mary Jo, no offense against you, but people like your friend make me so sick I could puke. I have had to apply for state aide before, and have been denied, but you see people pull up with brand new cars, with their hair and nails done, all new clothes etc. I resented that I was driving a 15 y/o car, in jeans and a tshirt, not even sure that I have enough gas to go to work and they are driving SUVs with gold jewelery all blinged out

[Mary Jo]

She got alimony before SSI and during.
The retirement package is after getting SSI but she recently has but that in both her Mom's and her names.
The retirement package($50,000) is what they want info on.

[ma4angels]

Well if she committed fraud she should pay for it. I am sorry but there are to many people that really need SSI and foodstamps that don't get it because they do it by the book and make 50.00 or some silly amount to much to recieve any help. So if she has 50,000.00 in the bank and they find out she will be made to pay the money back and will be lucky if she doesn't spend time in jail. What is sad that she will have to spend the majority of her 50,000.00 to get her out of trouble then she will actually need the help because she will not have any money left. She will not be able to apply for SSI then or foodstamps. Where will she be then. She should have took that money and bought her a small house or town house with it. Then she could have applied for help then

[Anig2u]

Doesn't look good for the gipper.

[cathych]

If it is work disability, that is one thing, they go on earned credits. If it is SSI however, any lump sum of money will cut into her SSI, plain and simple. You can go to their website and check it out.

[galeane29]

They will figure up how much she owes them and they will make her pay them back, monthly, out of her SSI check.

SSI paid me one month extra on accident after I got married and It had to be paid back in payments out of my kids SSI checks.

I recieved SSI after my first husbands death until I got remarried.

[Mary Jo]

iluvmybaby, I agree with you.
People like that really make me sick.
I, too have applied for state aid for me and my child years ago and been denied because I had $125 in the bank.
This person is an old friend but it would be nice in some ways for her to get nailed.
I, too, resent people like that who are driving newer SUVs.
The thing that gets to me is that I work my behind off full time and she was pulling in more money and much better medical than me.

[Anig2u]

They will figure up how much she owes them and they will make her pay them back, monthly, out of her SSI check.

SSI paid me one month extra on accident after I got married and It had to be paid back in payments out of my kids SSI checks.

I recieved SSI after my first husbands death until I got remarried.

I hope that is all that will happen, but this woman didn't report the money she was getting for the whole 5 yrs she has been getting SSI and it sounds like it is SSDI..since she is recieving it because she is mentally disabled. On your part that was only one extra month of SSI and it wasn't your fault. Keep us uppdated on this, I am curious as to how it will turn out.

[gmyers]

When my dad was alive he got his social security check and when he went into the nursing home the first time he was getting an ssi check too to help him pay for the nursing home. When he left the nursing home and moved back into his house after he recovered from his stroke. He didn't notify ssi and they made him pay back so much a month out of his check till he paid those months back. And he was in his late seventies. I believe the stroke made him forget to notify them.

[Mary Jo]

I'll try to keep you up on what's happening but it'll probably take awhile.
I think it been about a year that she's gotten the retirement $ and they're just now finding out.
She's called me a couple of times today crying about it and it hasn't been pleasant. She's going to contact her lawyer Monday.
I will have a cow if she gets away with this. I'm not kidding when I say she's crazy.

[tngirl]

My husband was recently turned down for SSI, medicaid, Food Stamps because of my income. His heart muscle has 75% muscle damage with a 25% ejection rate. We have sat here and waited for 5 months now on disability to get his claim settled. I was just on the phone again yesterday with them getting the run around.

Yeah, your friend pisses me off. I hope she gets burned to high heaven. My income is barely keeping a roof over our heads and the utilities on. As you can probably guess, I don't feel the least bit sorry for her.

[April78945]

I hope she gets caught and has to pay back everything and get charges pressed against her. I know she is your friend and all, but it drives me crazy when people claim they are too "crazy" or too "stupid" when infact they are smart as a fox when it comes to knowing how to screw over the goverment. I wouldn't feel bad at all if she were homeless after all this. Sorry :)

[atprm]

any monies received while you are receiving state aid or federal aid (be that food stamps, welfare, medicaid, ssi, etc) MUST be reported -- including retirement benefits, lawsuits, babysitting, yard raking, whatever.

The fact that she received these funds and failed to report them, is just cause for several things:
1) repayment of all monies received
2) denial of future benefits
3) fraud conviction
4) prison (not jail) time
5) seizure / freezing of all bank accounts

she can afford to pay an attorney? then she doesn't really need ssi / food stamps does she?

At the very least, she is guilty of OMISSION.

[Mary Jo]

April, I agree with you.
I'm glad SSI is going to do something about it so people who really need it can it. I am not kidding when I say she's crazy but it's her own fault. She has fried her brain on 40 years of prescription drugs, 95% obtained legally.
I know she doesn't have many friends but it's hard for me not to start yelling at her when she calls.

[wobblypops]

Not only would I yell at her, I would tell her I hope she does get busted.

She's not screwing over the government, she's screwing us, the taxpayer, over.

[Bahet]

I'd turn her in myself. I don't tolerate thieves very well.

[SLance68]

Why don't you drop a dime on her and report her yourself. Tell them who she is and what she has "earned" during that period and where the money is now. She needs to be in jail - no matter how you look at it - it is fraud.

[Mary Jo]

Too late, she's already been found out. Saves me the moral dilemma of whether to turn in a friend or not.
The last time I tried to report someone for food stamp fraud the caseworker told me that they were so overworked that they didn't have the time.

[April78945]

You know what..this has prompted me to turnin my SIL :)

She is on housing, welfare, food stamps..you name it. While on housing, she met a guy and they bought a house together...only he put himself as the only buyer and has his mail still sent to his mothers house while she lives with him and her housing pays the mortgage. **** that.
She also just got I think 100,000 or maybe even 300,000 for a car accident she was in a year ago. I am not sure because we got into a HUGE fight. But I know she didn't say anything to welfare about the money..why would she. She went and bought a brand new Lincoln (to replace her 2 year old Lincoln) and put it in her boyfriends name. UGHHH

[iluvmybaby]

You know what..this has prompted me to turnin my SIL :)

She is on housing, welfare, food stamps..you name it. While on housing, she met a guy and they bought a house together.... She went and bought a brand new Lincoln (to replace her 2 year old Lincoln) and put it in her boyfriends name. UGHHH

People like that piss me the hell off, and you see it all the time at the department of human services, the 2 times I have had to apply.


Mary Jo Too late, she's already been found out. Saves me the moral dilemma of whether to turn in a friend or not.
The last time I tried to report someone for food stamp fraud the caseworker told me that they were so overworked that they didn't have the time.

How did she get caught?

[gmyers]

You know what..this has prompted me to turnin my SIL :)

She is on housing, welfare, food stamps..you name it. While on housing, she met a guy and they bought a house together...only he put himself as the only buyer and has his mail still sent to his mothers house while she lives with him and her housing pays the mortgage. **** that.
She also just got I think 100,000 or maybe even 300,000 for a car accident she was in a year ago. I am not sure because we got into a HUGE fight. But I know she didn't say anything to welfare about the money..why would she. She went and bought a brand new Lincoln (to replace her 2 year old Lincoln) and put it in her boyfriends name. UGHHH


That is definitely illegal they told us you have to report any change in income. Sounds like she's living a nice life off the government and keeping her money. I wouldn't have the nerve to do that I'd worry about getting caught. Some people really learn how to milk the system.

[cathych]

my mother worked at social services, and she said that ppl did illegal stuff all the time in regards to government money, but they system is so overworked they usually dont worry about it. Now, if I did something illegal, I would get caught for sure.

[1busymomma]

Dh finally started bringing home enough income that we were no longer eligible for welfare back in May and got off of it. A good step in the right direction for us and I am grateful to have had the assistance while we needed it.

With that said, you only have 10 days to report any and all changes to the self-help center.

One time I was in there waiting on my re-cert appt and a couple came in wanting to know how to turn someone in. It happened to be her sister and she was fed up with her stealing from the system, living the high life while others she knew that desperately needed it were turned down.

It was quite a discussion....but one thing that the secretary stated is quite helpful is physical evidence, ie a photo or photos. Their possessions, them working etc...

[gmyers]

my mother worked at social services, and she said that ppl did illegal stuff all the time in regards to government money, but they system is so overworked they usually dont worry about it. Now, if I did something illegal, I would get caught for sure.

Me too thats for sure if I did one thing they'd put me under the jail. But others cheat for years and nothing ever happens to them. Doesn't the government know how much money they could save if they just checked to catch cheaters. They're always talking about welfare people need to get a job. Train and hire some of them just to check for fraud. They could sure save a lot of money and give people jobs too.

[Mary Jo]

Me, three. As soon as a parking meter I'm at expires, there's a cop there writing a ticket before I can get the money in.
I'm glad to see that others here are ticked off about this and too honest to try to get away with stuff.
I don't know how she got caught. Could have been her ex that turned her in or it could have been a government worker actually doing their due diligence. I'm just glad she caught and hope she doesn't get off too easy.
With all the privacy laws it's hard to check up on people although I hope when it comes to welfare that they get more leeway. They do know exactly where her money came from, her ex's union retirement fund (she got half of it in the divorce settlement). At work when people apply for jobs all we can legally do is require a drug screen and do a credit check. So maybe thy did a credit check, found a lot of purchases for expensive stuff like a couch and big screen TV and went from there. Who knows. I'll tell you all when I find out. This is quite a soap opera. Too much drama for me.

[wobblypops]

You know what..this has prompted me to turnin my SIL :)

She is on housing, welfare, food stamps..you name it. While on housing, she met a guy and they bought a house together...only he put himself as the only buyer and has his mail still sent to his mothers house while she lives with him and her housing pays the mortgage. **** that.
She also just got I think 100,000 or maybe even 300,000 for a car accident she was in a year ago. I am not sure because we got into a HUGE fight. But I know she didn't say anything to welfare about the money..why would she. She went and bought a brand new Lincoln (to replace her 2 year old Lincoln) and put it in her boyfriends name. UGHHH

You need to report her. I have never collected a penny in any socialist program & I am so sick & tired of seeing these thieves get my HARD EARNED money. Hell, there were times where I worked two full time jobs just to make ends meet so I can come online & read this kind of crap? It just makes my blood boil.

[wobblypops]

my mother worked at social services, and she said that ppl did illegal stuff all the time in regards to government money, but they system is so overworked they usually dont worry about it. Now, if I did something illegal, I would get caught for sure.

Then close the system down for good unless they can & will fix it.

[mosdata1]

You know what..this has prompted me to turnin my SIL :)

She is on housing, welfare, food stamps..you name it. While on housing, she met a guy and they bought a house together...only he put himself as the only buyer and has his mail still sent to his mothers house while she lives with him and her housing pays the mortgage. **** that.
She also just got I think 100,000 or maybe even 300,000 for a car accident she was in a year ago. I am not sure because we got into a HUGE fight. But I know she didn't say anything to welfare about the money..why would she. She went and bought a brand new Lincoln (to replace her 2 year old Lincoln) and put it in her boyfriends name. UGHHH

Report her to the IRS too. If the welfare dept won't do anything, the IRS surely will. As a bonus, I think you get a % of what they find her owing the gov't.

[MistyWolf]

She is 56 and has only been getting it for maybe 5 years.
What do you think they would do to her? She's too frigging nuts to go to jail.
In a way I feel sorry for her but in another way I would like to see her get nailed. She doesn't own a house or a car.
I'm pretty poor and there's been times when food stamps, etc. would have helped me and my daughter but when I applied I was turned down because I was honest.

Oh she can go to jail for SSI fraud and it doesn't matter if she is nuts or not .. they do have psych wards in prison that will accomodate her nicely.

[wubbywa]

If she is so crazy she sure knows how to work the system. I agree with several people here this stuff makes my blood boil. I see this all the time at the school I work in. Parents collect SSI for their kids and alot of them that have problems is from the way their parents raised (didnt) them. They want all these test done on their kids so if they dont pass certain ones its more money for them. Then again when it comes to what their kids are doing in the classroom they could care less, they are not involved in any of that. I did say alot of kids not all. I do know that people and kids do have mental problems and I feel sorry for them.

[Mary Jo]

Just an update.
She has her hearing tomorrow. Pretty quick for the government. I'll keep you all updated on this drama.
Her lawyer says she'' probably just loose SSI for awhile or maybe just part of it.
She got the $$ in January of this year but paperwork was done at end of previous year so there may also be an IRS fine because she hasn't paid taxes on it yet.
My bet is that she'll get by with all this with a slap on the wrist at most and we all will just keep on working so our tax dollars can support cheaters like her.

[gmyers]

I don't know when we signed up for disability. The man that was helping explained to us two or three times how much trouble we could get in for not telling the truth about our finances.. They said a year in jail and I believe it was a big fine. I know they made my dad pay back SSI money he got that he didn't inform them he left the nursing home and was living at home again and he was 85 at the time. They took so much out of his social security check till it was paid back.

[Anig2u]

I don't know when we signed up for disability. The man that was helping explained to us two or three times how much trouble we could get in for not telling the truth about our finances.. They said a year in jail and I believe it was a big fine. I know they made my dad pay back SSI money he got that he didn't inform them he left the nursing home and was living at home again and he was 85 at the time. They took so much out of his social security check till it was paid back.

They like to scare people so they wont try and cheat the system. I think it is sad that they don't follow through with the warnings and people get away with that stuff.

[hblueeyes]

Dont count on help from the IRS. I tried reporting somebody and I got the 3rd degree. I hung in there and demanded they do something. They could care less. They were more concerned about6 why I was reporting someone.

Me

[Mary Jo]

The funny thing is that she keeps asking me how she's supposed to live if they cut her off of SSI and medicare. She's in her 50's and has a college degree.
She's not really disabled even. Her brain's just fried because of years of prescription drug abuse. And like I've said before gets in benefits about what I make working full time.
How's she supposed to live? Get a job like the rest of us!

[mosdata1]

The funny thing is that she keeps asking me how she's supposed to live if they cut her off of SSI and medicare. She's in her 50's and has a college degree.
She's not really disabled even. Her brain's just fried because of years of prescription drug abuse. And like I've said before gets in benefits about what I make working full time.
How's she supposed to live? Get a job like the rest of us!

:yeah

[iluvmybaby]

Then close the system down for good unless they can & will fix it.

That is like saying, my car has a small dent so lets just send it to the scrap yard. You fix the dent, and then go on driving the car. My grandmother is legitimately on SSI, she is terminally ill and has medicare and recieves a check for the gov't. My grandmother has paid taxes and worked since she was 16, so for 50 years she has been putting in. Now why should she be denied a check because some a hole is illegally on SSI. That makes no sense at all, there are a lot of legitimate people who are too disabled to work, what would they do? What would my grandmother do?

[SLance68]

That is like saying, my car has a small dent so lets just send it to the scrap yard. You fix the dent, and then go on driving the car. My grandmother is legitimately on SSI, she is terminally ill and has medicare and recieves a check for the gov't. My grandmother has paid taxes and worked since she was 16, so for 50 years she has been putting in. Now why should she be denied a check because some a hole is illegally on SSI. That makes no sense at all, there are a lot of legitimate people who are too disabled to work, what would they do? What would my grandmother do?

I think no one in this thread is speaking of stopping payments to people who like your Grandmother are legitimately on SSI. If the Government would investigate and get rid of the fraud in the Social Security System and Medicare/Medicade systems we would be able to afford FREE health insurance for all children under the age of 18 at NO additional tax increases. But that would require the Federal employees of these programs to DO THEIR JOB. I know there are a lot that do their job and do a good job but the majority don't.

[msginna]

The funny thing is that she keeps asking me how she's supposed to live if they cut her off of SSI and medicare. She's in her 50's and has a college degree.
She's not really disabled even. Her brain's just fried because of years of prescription drug abuse. And like I've said before gets in benefits about what I make working full time.
How's she supposed to live? Get a job like the rest of us!

just had to quote on this sentence.Hubby was laid off with a few other people in a changing of owners for his copany. Before hubby tried going back active (which maybe harder then we thought) he tried to get a job and is actually still trying to get a job. He isn't giving up though. BUT in small town america it is harder then HECK for some honest and hard working americans to get jobs. Oh he is a little older too, not REAL old but there are 20 somethings that are younger and We already know that jobs here have taken them over hubby even though hubby has have no blips on his record and has had a good 20 year record.

[friend6040]

ok heres something to ponder what if you got a backpay check from social security do you still have to report it to public aid or do they know about it already.

[Jenefer3]

ok heres something to ponder what if you got a backpay check from social security do you still have to report it to public aid or do they know about it already.

They would already know about it, at least here anyways. The places contact each other. When my dad was getting it he got a backpay check and DSHS already knew about it. They sent me a letter letting me know that my dad had received X amount of money and that it would not have an effect on them covering his medical rehabilitation.

[DrGrin]

The funny thing is that she keeps asking me how she's supposed to live if they cut her off of SSI and medicare. She's in her 50's and has a college degree.
She's not really disabled even. Her brain's just fried because of years of prescription drug abuse. And like I've said before gets in benefits about what I make working full time.
How's she supposed to live? Get a job like the rest of us!

Is she too crazy to dress up in a McDonald's uniform and say "Would you like fries with that" Or work in Walmart and say "Welcome to Walmart." ? If not, she needs to get a job.

People who abuse the system really deserve to get busted.

[Mary Jo]

Yes, she is too crazy to be a WalMart greeter.
Her brain is lost in the 60's. She'd say something like "Peace, man."
That's what ticked me off in the first place. She did/does way too many drugs, fried her brain and then gets SSI.
She does have a teaching certificate but there is no way I would let her near children.
Yes, I agree she should get busted.
I thought about turning her in to IRS but after hblueeyes comment I'm glad I didn't. One time I did tell foodstamp people about someone else but they did nothing. So I am glad she got caught by SSI. I'm sure IRS is not too far behind.

[Mary Jo]

I just talked to her and I'm po'ed.
That woman has way too much money and is still going to cheat.
Sh has to pay back $7000 to SSI and get her checking account to under $2000 to keep getting SSI and medicare.
She has the 7 grand to pay them back and then is going to put over $13000 in cash in her safe deposit box AND give her brother $10000 (she old SSI she owes him that) to hold in his name for her.
Anybody with over 30 grand in cash should not be getting SSI and medicare.
This is so wrong.
I talked to SSI and they said they can't get into her safe deposit box to look for money and they bought the story that she owes her brother 10 grand.
What absolute bull.
So basically she pays them 7 grand, hides 23 grand, keeps 2 grand in her checking account and still gets SSI and medicare and everything is ok.
This is so wrong!

[gmyers]

If it was me I'd get jail time. I don't see why punishments are different for different people it doesn't seem fair. And they'd take away the SSI too. Thats the kind of luck I have. No wonder theres so much fraud.

[Mary Jo]

I guess I'm just too stupid to lie, not to mention that jail time scares me.
It doesn't seem fair.
She's ok with paying them back 7 grand, seemed relieved to have it all over with and still keep getting her free ride.
Like I said before she gets more free from the government than I make working fulling time and has 30 grand to boot. I was just floored when she told me all this.
This is just unreal.
What are we doing wrong?

[ma4angels]

Maybe she will get her just and her brother will spend the 10,000 when she gives it to him. What can she do then she already said she owed it to him. So she wouldn't be able do anything to him

[SLance68]

Maybe she will get her just and her brother will spend the 10,000 when she gives it to him. What can she do then she already said she owed it to him. So she wouldn't be able do anything to him

I hope that happens. I bet she would be pissed and not saying "peace dude" then. I believe that she will get her just due in the end - you might never know about it but it will happen.

[ssgjeg]

Karma's a b*tch.

[Mary_Jo3]

Karma's a b*tch.

Amen

[Mary Jo]

She had to bring in to SSI bank statments to prove she had less then $2000 in her checking account. To get her bank account down she paid off her Victoria's Secret charge-$12000 since the beginning of the year.
I could have eaten well for years on that.

[ma4angels]

What in the world do you charge from Victoria Secret for 12,000.00. That my friends is alot of underwear. To each is own. I would have bought something a little better then that like a vehicle or maybe put on a house or something useful.

[Mary Jo]

In fact if she had used the money for a car or house she would not be in trouble with SSI for having too much money. But she really shouldn't even be getting anything at all because she's not handicapped or physically sick. There are so many people who deserve SSI, foodstamps and medicare but not this slacker.

[Dawnrise]

I wish I had an answer but I get SSI (physical disability) and my husband makes over $100,000/yr. so I don't think how much money you have in the bank makes a difference. But I don't know if it'll make a difference if there was fraud involved.

[gmyers]

I wish I had an answer but I get SSI (physical disability) and my husband makes over $100,000/yr. so I don't think how much money you have in the bank makes a difference. But I don't know if it'll make a difference if there was fraud involved.

It did for us. They wanted our checking and savings account numbers so they could check. Wanted to know if we had real estate, a retirement account, what kind of car we had and how old it is. And a lot more. And told us if we lied or falsified anything we'd be in trouble of being prosecuted.

[vicky122]

I wish I had an answer but I get SSI (physical disability) and my husband makes over $100,000/yr. so I don't think how much money you have in the bank makes a difference. But I don't know if it'll make a difference if there was fraud involved.

Wow it does for my son. As a matter of fact we was going to have him put on our account at the bank so his check could be direct deposit and the office told us not too because then they would look at all money in the account.