posted on December 6, 2002 07:27:09 PM new
I know where your Social Security money is going. . .
I know a man who is on SSI. This man, although he is HIV+, gets around pretty darned well; better than me on most days. His 8 hour workday consists of pushes buttons on his TV remote (brand new TV, new furniture). He collects $1,400 a month in SSI money, $400 a month in foodstamps, has Medicaid AND Medicare. Oh, let's not forget he has no children. Now I work 40 hours a week, collect $1,213 a month from my employer, $0 a month in food donations, have no insurance and have a son at home.
He lives in a brand new house that he was able to buy because he gets SSI, pays $200 a month on a mortgage and drives a 1998 Lincoln Continental. I live in a 100 year old badly in need of repair home with a $475 a month mortgage payment and drive a 1993 Jeep that costs more to maintain than it's worth.
He sits back smiling and doesn't pay his bills. No one can sue him because they can't touch his SSI money. He knows this and takes advantage of it. I'm filing bankruptcy because I can't pay my bills because my salary was cut and I'm being threatened with suits all over the place.
JUST WHAT AM I DOING WRONG? Won't someone please tell me?
Cheryl
posted on December 6, 2002 07:58:29 PM new
The only thing I can see that you are doing wrong is being a hard working individual. I work as a manager in a convenience store and nothing pisses me off more than for someone, perfectly capable of working, that comes in the store and wants to pay for soda and chips with foodstamps. The owner no longer accepts foodstamps because it pisses her off too.
I had a customer come in the store the other day that wanted to pay with foodstamps. I, of course, informed them that we no longer accepted foodstamps. So they put the food items back and came back up to the counter and proceeded to pull out cash and purchase lottery tickets. Is it just me, or does this annoy others too? After all, it's our hard earned tax dollars that are supporting these people?
posted on December 6, 2002 08:12:24 PM new
Cheryl,Where do you live? SSI is a supplement and around here I believe the max amount is 300.00 I am in Texas.He makes too much money for food stamps in this area as well.Something is wrong,Why cant you get some kind of State aid? You have a child,and should be able to get some kind of assistance before the States tighten up.Low income,with children are first priorty here.
At least food stamps and some health care services should be available.Make an appointment with the State Human services to see if you cant get some help.
What I am stating here is that there is something wrong with the entire SSI picture. He was fortunate enough to be one of the last to get permanent SSI. That no longer exists. I'm not whining about my situation, I'm a survivor. However, my taxes are going to all of this as are yours. I see people with disabilities working every day. Parapalegics, the blind, those with no arms or legs. He is perfectly capable of working and should be doing so. It's all a game and he knows very well how to play it. You go and get three or four different doctors until you find one that will claim you are on your death bed when you are not. That just the mere thought of legitimate work will kill you, when it will not. I work with AIDS patients every day and I know many who work up to just months before they die. It's all a matter of "working the system." It is not as easy now to get SSI, but it was very easy at one time. Because of granfathered laws, they are safe. I stay in my job for a couple of reasons, my age (46), and what I do (alternative health care for the terminally ill and disabled). Why would a company pay a 46 year old secretary with a CPS $40,000 a year when they can pay a 25 year old secretary $20,000?
junquemama
I live in Ohio. Back when he first got SSI, it was easier to get and the benefits were greater. He's been on it awhile and gets regular COL increases. I do believe, however, that there may be a bit of foodstamp fraud going on, but I can't prove it. It so happens that his girlfriend's sister works for the Department of Children and Family Services, the agency that issues the foodstamps. I guess that explains the lobster and steak cookouts all summer long. We are doing fine and I thank you for your concern. I'm between a rock and a hard place. I make too much money to qualify for anything. Fortunately, I have a fantastic family and wonderful friends who help out a lot.
Cheryl
You are forgetting that this guy has had taxes taken out of his salary all of his life also. The amount of your Social Security payments are based on the total wages that you have made throughout your life.
I think that it's impossible to live on social security payments alone in some areas.
posted on December 6, 2002 08:54:30 PM new
The only ones I know who got SSI in this area(few years ago)were mentaly handicap and had paid nothing in taxes.
I respect your views and do agree with you on some points. However, he is only 39 how long could he have worked considering he has been on SSI for 10 years now. I don't begrudge him his entitlement to SSI, bless his heart for being able to get it when he did. What I worry about is Social Security being there when I retire. I've been working since age 16 and I know my Social Security benefits are no where near $1400 a month. My father who worked for 50 years doesn't get that much. I would just like to know what kind of formula they were using at the time. SSI should be treated like worker's comp - if you can work you should. SSI should be available only to those who cannot work. I can guarantee he didn't put enough taxes into the system by today's standards to qualify for that much money. The other point I tried to make was that if you are working and making $1400 a month, no way could you get food stamps or medicaid. No way would you qualify for special government new housing deals. Let's just even things out a bit. I had Cancer, but I wouldn't have qualified for SSI because now they don't consider that a fatal illness. Fortunately for him, at the time he got SSI, they did consider AIDS to be fatal (duh). A dear friend has Breast Cancer (which has now spread to her bones), COPD, Congenitive Heart Failure and severe Osteoporosis (80% bone loss) and still CANNOT get SSI because her illnesses are no longered considered fatal by the SS Administration (tell her failing heart that). She takes 25-30 pills each day just to stay alive and must drag herself to work everyday. Go figure.
Cheryl
posted on December 6, 2002 08:56:34 PM new
Chances are it's not SSI. That doesn't pay more than a few hundred dollars amonth no matter where you live. It's not based upon state, since it's federal. He is drawing Social Seciurity payments, based upon his old income and money that he's put into the system already. If you are drawing social security payments, then you get Medicare forced on you whether you wantt it or not. Since most states will pick up the small deductable for Medicare, that fills their Medicaid requirement. If this man is living by himself and getting $400 a month in food stamps just for himself, I'd turn him into the state, as he's obviously claimed too much, since one person doesn't qualify for that much money anywhere in the USA, even Alaska or Hawaii where food is most expensive. The house is perhaps lucky lcuk - mayby the guy knows how to shop for homes, maybe he looked into programs for the disabled. I guess he shoud be out on the street living under a bridge. I doubt that the car is in his name as it's worth would cut off the food stamps and assistance from the state. It sure doesn't sound like the typical poor shmoe who's been injured and disabled, so turn him into the state. That is, if this isn't a troll.
posted on December 6, 2002 08:58:50 PM new
At one time hiv was a death sentence,He may have jumped that wagon when it was in gear.Social Security goes by what their Doctor says and takes in to consideration what the other Doctors have to say.Also he may be up to review some time in the future,When the economy turns sour the agencys tighten up.
posted on December 6, 2002 08:59:37 PM new
Well, this guy has HIV+ according to Cheryl. It's rather insensitive to begrudge him for anything that he may get.
I don't understand the real purpose of this thread.
Please, please, please. I am not saying anything about HIV+. My brother died five years ago from AIDS and another brother has it now. I am not insensitive to it, but am devistated by it. The purpose of the thread was to discuss the future of Social Security. Sorry I brought it up.
Borillar
It is SSI. I know because he is a former client and a long time acquaintance. The car is in his name because I questioned him on that very thing. He got around it by having the seller mark the title as "gift." The house was luck, I guess. A rather "seedy" area of town had some homes built in order to bring more people into the neighborhood. These homes were offered through the local housing network to poor families at reduced rates (interest) and special mortgages based upon income. Since he is engaged to be married to someone who is also not working and a minority, they were able to qualify. But, it looks as though they may lose the house anyway. Since neither is a spend thrift, they have already skipped two payments. I don't think the special deal they got meant that they can skip payments.
[ edited by CBlev65252 on Dec 6, 2002 09:19 PM ]
posted on December 6, 2002 09:13:21 PM new "Like I said in my response to Helen, I do believe there to be food stamp fraud going on and it will be duly reported."
Oh Hell, I would just let him eat while he can.
Helen
[ edited by Helenjw on Dec 6, 2002 09:21 PM ]
posted on December 6, 2002 10:40:01 PM new
How long ago was this guy granted his SSI? If it was within the past 5 years it isn't SSI (Supplemental Income). SSI has a benefit cap of about $500.00 per month & is only granted for a short period of time, usually untill the SSD (SOcial Security Disability) is granted.
If he is receiving $1400.00 per month it is SSD. To receive this amount he had to have earned over $90,000 his last working year.
Depending upon the state he lives in, the number of members in is household, it is possible to receive food stamps. In Texas with 2 people in the household and a SSD income of $1141.00 you are qualified for $200.00 in food stamps (here it is called "The Lone Star Card). It is like a bank debit card & has reduced food stamp fraud by over 65%.
As far a being on Medicare & Medicade, NO WAY, you are eligable for one of the other, not both. To qualify for Medicare, you have to have VERY limited resources & assets. (They are checked).
Just qualifying for SSD is a very lenghty process & I guarantee that ANYONE applying will will have their first 2 applications rejected. Then you have to file an appeal requesting a hearing before a Social Security Administrative judge.
One of the criteria for qualifying for SSD is the continuing disability for a period of 1 year.
I've been through the process & it was only when I hired an attorney specializing in SS benefits did I finally start receiving payments. I ws luckier than most, it only took me 11 months to finally have the benefits granted. But during that time I was forces to sell most all my belongs just to survive. The people I was renting my house from, kindly let ne live there for 10 monts without paying rent. (I am forever in their debt).
I finally moved onto a 1 1/2 acre piece of property I had bought the previous year. I lived in a 24 foot travel trailer for over 2 years. I had no water well, so I piped water into a 1300 gallon storage tank from a neighbor.
I had to file bankruptcy to keep from losing what little I had left. My wife couldn't work that first year for having to care for me, transporting me on weekly trips to the hospital, admistrating the home infusion IV antibiotic's to fight 2 major infections, changing dressings on an incesion that laid open my leg to bare bone while waiting for the next surgery & a total of 7 surgeries I endured to save my leg.
I will never be able to return to the regular work force as my job entailed constant walking, standing, crawling under desks & such.
I'm lucky now just to be able to even walk.
I paid my dues into social security for over 35 years.
Yes there are those that abuse the system, but ther are far more that deserve it and cannot quality.
So only if you know without a doubt that this guy is abusing the system can you claim fraud.
The SSD benefits I am paid each month do not pay all the bills, that is why I supplement it with my Ebay sales & the occasional gun show.
Social Security administration rules allow me to earn a max of $700.00 per month without endangering my SSD.
Even then it still isn't easy to make it from month to month.
You talk about yearly increases in benefits. The last 4 years, the benefits have increased 2.5 to 3.1%. And out of that $50.00 is deducted for medicare.
posted on December 6, 2002 11:11:59 PM new
>He got around it by having the seller mark the title as "gift."
Cheryl, if this isn't a troll, then the guy's been lying to you. Having the seller mark it as "gift" doesn't mean anything other than you don't know how the system works. It isn't how he got the car; it's the Value of the car, as in Blue Book value. The food stamp program usually allows a person to have a vehicle for about $2,500 worth of value and that is given based upon the current Blue Book value. If it is over the limit, and I assure you that his new car is, then the state would make him sell the car before allowing him to qualify for the food stamps. Ergo, your friend has been pulling your leg, probably about the entire thing.
posted on December 6, 2002 11:43:03 PM new
You do not need to be dying to get SSD benefits. The benefit is for disability not how close to death you are.
He can keep his $1400 a month and whatever else he gets. I'd be satisfied with whatever if I have my health.
This fear about SS not being available when you retire is a myth. There is a short period when the baby boomers squeeze through the SS system and then it is back to surpluses.
If the US can defecit spend and borrow for 50 years to fight the Cold War, Social Security for the Baby Boomers will be no problem. Also, all those tanks,planes and bombs did nothing to stimulate the economy, but the SS benefits will go right back into the economy for food,travel, health care, etc.. The Republicans are scaring people about SS just to get us to invest our SS funds in the stock market so outfits like Enron can steal it.
posted on December 7, 2002 06:07:44 AM new
I didn't mean to spark so much anger or to offend anyone. I'm horrified that I offended anyone. I'm trying to fine tune my writing. Problem is I ramble and the meaning is totally lost by the end of the paragraph (try having a conversation with me in person, oh boy). Most people on SSI and SSD don't get enought to live on, I understand that first hand through my brother. I think that's awful and I wish I knew what the remedy was. I also think it's awful that plenty of hardworking Americans aren't making ends meet either because they are grossly underpaid. Where Bush may look at the employment statistics and say they look good, that doesn't take into consideration the millions of families surviving on minimum wage or just over. I'm not bashing people on SSI or SSD at all. I'm trying to help a woman get on it now and it's difficult, to say the least. So, if anyone with experience in that has any ideas, please let me know. The attorney is no help at all.
Before I ramble anymore - the guy's sister called me early this morning. He has been arrested for selling drugs to an undercover police officer (thus, his extra income) and for Medicaid fraud (no wonder I haven't heard from him). Seems he's been providing Medicaid with phony Spend Downs to receive benefits. And, she has been arrested for food stamp fraud. I don't know the details and don't want to know. No, I didn't turn them in. The FDA doesn't work that fast. I may say I will turn someone in, but more likely than not, I would not. You are right, Borillar, he did lie to me about some things.
Good luck and blessings to all SSI and SSD recipients. I didn't mean to offend. I guess I'm just not hardened enough for these boards. Happy holidays to all. Over and out.
posted on December 7, 2002 06:26:32 AM new
It's so easy to offend on these boards. All you have to do, as you did above, is suggest that a fellow suffering from an AIDS related disease is taking advantage of government services and BAM! That's perceived as offensive.
I suppose the illegal drug activity explains the lobster and steak dinners every night....and why he "sit's back smiling" while dying. LOL!
posted on December 7, 2002 07:46:17 AM newWhat I worry about is Social Security being there when I retire.
I agree, in part, with Reamond. This fear about SS not being available when you retire is a myth. Neither side is going to take away these benefits, it would be political suicide. The part I don't agree with is that the republicans are the ones spreading this fear. The comic strip of Bush pushing an old lady down a hill was sponsered by the democrats, not the republicans. For many years it's been the democrats that try to instill this fear in people. Seems to come up anytime there's an election.
posted on December 7, 2002 08:21:08 AM newI didn't mean to spark so much anger or to offend anyone.
Looking at the posts in thread, I can see no anger or offense. Folks merely posted rebuttals to your points.
The fact that this guy had a few scams going comes as no surprise--whenever you see people on welfare or its equivalent living the high life, you can bet there is something crooked going on somewhere. Though, I myself take a jaundiced look at the welfare system, which can be traced to two things: 1) when I was a kid we were very poor but my mom refused to go on welfare--but neighbors down the street who *were* on welfare had a fancy car, washer & dryer, expensive new clothes all the time, etc.; and 2) a friend who works for social services in this county & who sees first-hand the scams that the system allows to occur even when she points out infractions to her bosses! BTW, on that note, don't be too sorry for most of the people you see at offramps begging for food--I can't tell you how many times we've passed one that has been one of her clients (as she calls them) & whom she has to report. Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
posted on December 7, 2002 08:39:34 AM new
Actually, to me, it was so offensive that it sounded like the post of a troll. But then, I'm very sensitive and especially perceptive to changing viewpoints.
posted on December 7, 2002 12:46:18 PM new
CBlev65252 - I am so with you!
We live in between two large Indian reservations and see many things that make us just go hmmm....
Do you know the Native Americans don't have to pay as much $ for their driver's licenses, car insurance(89% in a recent poll on the one of the reservations don't even have car insurance), school lunches, property taxes and the list goes on and on and on.
The Native Americans also get vouchers for school clothes. So many of them buy only the best looking jackets like the Columbia jackets, bibs, hats, mittens, boots, scarfs and all the Tommy, Nike and Fubu clothes you ever want to see and of course the $150 tennis shoes. So when they go up the the check out they give their voucher to the sales clerk and they pay $0. They then go home to their gov't built homes. They have seminars at my children's schools about the Native Americans and how bad off they have it because the white man took their land and such and forced them into the white man ways like school and such. I believe they have been paid back many times over for their land.- That is just my opinion I guess.
posted on December 7, 2002 01:03:45 PM new
I wouldnt want to walk in those 150.00 shoes,only to find out what the real cost was.
The Government is trying to trim the Office of Indian affairs as we speak,Less money,
Less grants.
The only real free rides out there,Is at such a level,You will never see it.
Maybe I just see things differently,Maybe I need medications.
posted on December 7, 2002 01:05:37 PM new
nharmon
Do you realize how many BILLIONS of dollars have been stolen from native Americans. Money from oil royalities, that was misused & is totally unaccounted for by the BIA.
The last three heads of the BIA have been cited for contempt of court for failing to resolve the problem.
Do you realize that the #1 killer of native American's is alcohlism.
With ALL the land and other resources that have been STOLEN from NATIVE AMERICANS, they deserve everything they get and MORE.
Is it any different from the heirs of black slaves that are now seeking compensation?
