| Author |
Message |
    
caesar saviano
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2001 - 9:41 pm: | 
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I came in contact with a person who is drawing disability payments
while working under the table. He is working regularly as a painter and
taking only cash in order to collect disability payments. I'm not sure
if he is collecting from social security or some other government
program. He lives in Roanoke, VA. Do you think I should report this or
not? if so, to who? |
Paul McChesney (Admin)
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 26, 2001 - 1:02 pm: |
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You can try telling the local Social Security office. Often, they won't
do much. That is one of the reasons the program is getting a bad
reputation, unfortunately. |
Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 23, 2001 - 6:34 am: |
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If someone on SS Disability accepts rent from someone living at their
home and does NOT document the rent received as income, how severe is
this penalty and how could someone turn them in?
*Note: the rent
was received by the disabled person in the form of cash, so there is no
printed documentation or receipt... only 5+ witnesses. |
Paul McChesney
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 23, 2001 - 8:38 pm: |
|
There is no penalty, so long as the individual is not working, so long
as the check he or she is getting is a social security check of any
sort - disability, retirement, or survivor's, and so long as the
individual's income was not earned - that is, was not reportable as
wages or self employment income. I am frankly not sure whether rent
should be counted as self employment income. If the person performs
substantial services for his tenant perhaps it might be.
Social Security is based on the amount of earnings paid in, not on income while working.
There
is another program, SSI, which pays money only if the individual has a
certain level of income and resources. Failure to report rental income
by someone who is drawing SSI would be improper, and perhaps a crime if
done intentionally.
You may report any offense by reporting it to your local Social Security office. |
mr cunningham
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 17, 2002 - 9:08 pm: |
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I Live beside a man that is disable has done damage to my property and is working under the table who can i contact. |
Paul McChesney (Admin)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 19, 2002 - 4:47 am: |
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The local Social Security office for starters, though it is suprisingly
hard to get them to do anything. Be persistent. And be sure of your
facts, in order to avoid liability for slander. |
Paul McChesney (Admin)
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 29, 2004 - 8:37 pm: |
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Q. by Ms. Payton: My ex-husband recieves ss.benefits for disability.
Our
10 year recieves funds also, because of his disability. I would like to
know how does he keep them? My ex-husband was in Cook County Jail from
1-3-04 thru 1-27-04, charged with Posession of a
Controll
substance. Very month between the 21 day and the 2 of a new month he's
in the hospital. He recieves better medical treatment than the elderly.
I would like to know how? No this is not your concern, but he
constantly lies to the court tries his best to keep me in court over a
"fathers visitation right"s. He spends the taxepayers money well.
Including mine!
Ms. Payton, the Social Security Act is
sloppy in this way: If you otherwise qualify, it pays benefits
regardless of whether you contributed to your present disability by
overeating, eating the wrong things, not getting exercise, not getting
education, or destroying your body or mind with drugs, including
alcohol and tobacco.
There is a potential basis for refusing benefits if you fail to follow your doctor's prescribed treatment.
There
have been a couple of reforms that further restrict those who can get
benefits. For example, you cannot get benefits for a disability created
or aggravated because you were committing a felony or because you were
in jail or prison for committing a felony. You cannot get benefits
while you are in jail for conviction of a felony. You cannot get
benefits if the reason you are disabled is that you are constantly or
periodically intoxicated by drugs including alcohol.
Theoretically
you can get benefits if you are still disabled once the short term
effects of intoxication end, but as a practical matter in my experience
you need to be permanently damaged, and you need to become sober,
before you can get disability based on the damage you have done to
yourself; short term psychosis will not do.
There are a
number of people who are genuinely disabled for reasons they are not
responsible for, that descend into a lifestyle of dissipation only
after, and perhaps because of, disability.
If you are a
reasoning person, or a spiritual person, the hell that you descend into
by destroying yourself in these ways is a sufficient disincentive to
such choices.
But there are people who do not live by reason
or the spirit, and if they destroy themselves, they are often rewarded
by getting SSI, disability benefits, and medical benefits.
And
there are people who claim to be disabled and act the part until they
fool enough people to get benefits, sometimes fooling even themselves
in the process.
And there are a very few who cheerfully
destroy themselves, encouraged by the reward of disability benefits at
the end of the process.
And once you start getting benefits, real review of your condition and entitlement is rare.
I
would change a lot of things about the disability program if I were
running things, and I am sure you would, too. One problem is that the
people who create the rules are too far away from the people who get
benefits. And each person cares intensely about his benefits, but no
one cares quite that much about each small loss to the nation.
If
a person is drawing benefits but is not truly disabled, you can report
him and occasionally something will be done. If you are not truly
disabled, or if you could by some effort and without too much suffering
become employable, you should do so. I am not sure what to do about
those people who have dissipated themselves into disability. What
should we do about that, if the cause is alcoholism, if the person has
now stopped drinking and repents? What if the cause is eating in an
unhealthy way?
In short, the Social Security disability
system is over inclusive; it allows benefits to people it should not.
This aspect of the system needs to be improved in many ways.
But
at the same time, the system is also under inclusive, denying benefits
to many people who have worked hard, paid in a lot, and cannot get
benefits after having worn out their bodies working for you and for me.
This aspect needs to be improved, too.
I have not said
anything about who gets what medical care. That problem is worse than
the benefit problem; ask me again and I will go on and on about that,
too. |
mae payton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 23, 2004 - 12:54 pm: |
|
My ex-husband recieves ss.benefits for disability.
Our
10 year recieves funds also, because of his disability. I would like to
know how does he keep them? My ex-husband was in Cook County Jail from
1-3-04 thru 1-27-04, charged with Posession of a
Controll
substance. Very month between the 21 day and the 2 of a new month he's
in the hospital. He recieves better medical treatment than the elderly.
I would like to know how? No this is not your concern, but he
constantly lies to the court tries his best to keep me in court over a
"fathers visitation right"s. He spends the taxepayers money well.
Including mine! |
Paul McChesney (Admin)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 26, 2004 - 6:53 am: |
|
Ms. Payton, the Social Security Act is sloppy in this way: If you
otherwise qualify, it pays benefits regardless of whether you
contributed to your present disability by doing things like overeating,
eating the wrong things, not getting exercise, not getting education,
or destroying your body or mind with drugs, including alcohol and
tobacco.
There is a potential basis for refusing benefits if you fail to follow your doctor's prescribed treatment.
There
have been a couple of recent reforms. For example, you cannot get
benefits for a disability created or aggravated because you were
committing a felony or because you were in jail or prison for
committing a felony. You cannot get benefits while you are in jail for
conviction of a felony. You cannot get benefits if the reason you are
disabled is that you are constantly or periodically intoxicated by
drugs including alcohol.
Theoretically you can get benefits
if you are still disabled once the short term effects of intoxication
are ended, but as a practical matter in my experience you need to be
permanently damaged before you can get disability based on the damage
you have done to yourself; short term psychosis will not do.
There
are a number of people who are genuinely disabled for reasons they are
not responsible for, that descend into a lifestyle of dissipation only
after, and perhaps because of, disability.
If you are a
reasoning person, or a spiritual person, the hell that you get into by
destroying yourself in this way is a sufficient disincentive so that
you would not try to get benefits by dissipating yourself.
But
there are perhaps more people out there who do not live by reason or
the spirit, and if they destroy themselves, they are often rewarded by
getting SSI, disability benefits, and medical benefits.
And once you get on, real review of your condition and entitlement is rare.
I would change a lot of this if I were running things, and I am sure you would, too. |
Steve
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 27, 2004 - 5:56 am: |
|
What do I do if I believe someone is collecting s9ocail security fradgalentlty |
Paul McChesney (Admin)
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 843
Registered: 5-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 - 7:44 pm: |
|
You can report them to the local office. Be sure you are right, of course. |
concern
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 20, 2004 - 2:56 pm: |
|
I
know someone who draws disability and he sales CD's, that he has
downloaded from internet out of his home. Should i report this? |
Paul McChesney (Admin)
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 941
Registered: 5-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 6:11 am: |
|
Well,
that depends. If you mean that he is doing something illegal, that is
ripping music and selling it without a copyright, and you are asking
whether you should report that, I suppose we all have a duty to report
crime. This is a federal crime, and I am not sure who you report that
to, but you could start by talking to your local sheriff or police.
If
you mean that you think that, legal or not, he is making money and
therefor is not disabled, that also could be reported, to the local
Social Security office. There are rules for how much money you can make
under certain circumstances; they are set out elsewhere on this site.
If he is making more than allowed under these rules, his check is
supposed to be stopped.
Make sure you are right, of course! |
Dusty Mattingly (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 2:26 pm: |
|
My
aunt gets social security disability and has nothing wrong with her.
She fails to report money she has coming on a regular basis. She is a
hypocondriactand goes to the doctors sometimes two or three tomes a
week. She has a prescription plan were she only pays one dollar for any
kind of meds. some one needs to stop people like this. they are
breaking the law and should be stopped |
Paul McChesney (Admin)
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 1023
Registered: 5-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, February 19, 2005 - 9:27 pm: |
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Right. |
Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 8:20 pm: |
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I
know this guy that draws social security disability snd he volunteers
as a duty police officer. He run a tractor on the sided that he bush
hogs fields with to make money. He only takes cash He has bluided his
own house that most working poeple could not bluild if working 2 Jobs.
How can you report this because every one know what he does but nothing
is every done? |
joanie (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 - 9:35 am: |
|
i
work with this guy that he recivies disability and medicade all kinds
of government help & he works under the table, where can i report
this, he is always bragging about how he gets away with these things ,
that really upsets me |
Henry G. (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 04, 2005 - 5:16 pm: |
|
This is in response to the post about the hypochondriac who was drawing disability benefits.
In the listing of mental disorders, one can qualify as meeting a list for a somatoform disorder, if it is severe enough.
It
would be interesting to know if that recipient of disability benefits
was actually approved on the basis of a somatoform disorder or for a
disorder she actually did not have. |
LH (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 11:19 am: |
|
My
13 yr-old son's father has received SSI for 14 years. I understand we
cannot get any social security or child support benefit from him. But
he is not disabled-- he holds long-term volunteer positions and has
frequently worked "under the table." I have heard and seen him lie
about his "disability" in evaluation interviews. I have reported all of
the above to the Social Security Administration with documentation, but
there appears to be no change in him receiving SSI. He just doesn't
want to work and has been scamming the system for 14 years, and as a
result, I have never been able to get financial support for our son.
What now? |
Paul McChesney (Admin)
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 1255
Registered: 5-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, July 04, 2005 - 8:37 am: |
|
LH:
I guess you can try the Family Court in your state, and you can try the
newspaper and such. I wish that these folks who cannot balance the
budget would get to work on these guys. |
Paul McChesney (Admin)
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 1331
Registered: 5-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 15, 2005 - 11:59 am: |
|
This
is a book that presents the point of view of view that too many people
who are not disabled are being paid, and has some reform suggestions.
I
personally take the position that the system is so bad that, while a
lot of people who are not disabled are being paid, at the same time a
lot of people who are disabled are not being paid.
Disabled by Uncle Sam James M. Taylor, Facilitating Fraud. Cato
Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.
Changes
must be made to the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
program, argues Taylor, managing editor of Accommodating Disabilities
Business Management Guide. SSDI consumes 14 percent of the Social
Security budget, paying out $57 billion in 1999 to persons allegedly so
disabled they could not work. |
Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 28, 2005 - 10:16 pm: |
|
I
know a person turned down twice by Social Security because of back
problems. the third time she is approved because she was found to be
functionally Illiterate and she would not be capable of reading or
writing even simple messages.
However after being approved she
goes to college for 2 years and has A and B grades. Files her own court
papers and send over 100 emails and staeys before a judge in family
court that she is not functionally Illiterate What is the best way to
report this |
Anonymous
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 01, 2005 - 8:41 pm: |
|
Not
taking into account the obstacles one must go through to get
disability, I don't see how it matters so much if someone works, or you
see someone doing work, and claiming ssdi. Under ssdi one can work.
(aside from sheer fraud) There are many things in place to work, so
long as they are paying taxes, and reporting that work.
It is after all that person's decision. They should know a review will come into play, and they will have to justify working. |
Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 01, 2005 - 8:53 pm: |
|
For anon 2 posts up.
There is clearly something going on, but often things are not what they appear to be.
That
is acutally in her favor to go to college, as it would 100% "cure" her
disability. If she is still claiming that alone, and not "another"
disability? (turned down twice for back problems)?
One
semester of anyone passing a college level course, even with a D, or
even getting into college for that matter is proof enough. |
Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 12, 2005 - 2:44 pm: |
|
Hi,
This is my second post.. I would like to know the best way to report
someone that is on Disability and is NOT DISABLED at all.. Our family
has seen many instances where she works all day, cutting grass, lifting
heavy objects, moving heavy stones.Climbing on her roof to make
repairs.. If someone is able to do all this then how can they receive a
monthly $800.00 disablity check.. I know this because I know her well..
It is not fair that others that have true illness cannot receive
disablity. Is there anyway of reporting her without her finding out who
did it.. I am a relative and would upset alot of people if they found
out I did it.. Any Advice!! |
Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 30, 2005 - 1:35 am: |
|
what
can I do? I have an incredible and lenghy story.. basically fraud .
This person finally won S.S. dis. out of persistance.Arms don't
work.Then with the retro payout ..about 35,000 buys a Harley. Thats
only 5% of the story.The S.S. fraud hot line actually got mad at me for
telling them this.I guess it ends? |
Paul McChesney (Admin)
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 1233
Registered: 5-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 02, 2005 - 9:44 am: |
|
Anonymouses:
It is frustrating to me how little the Administration is doing to
follow up on this sort of fraud. It costs us all a lot of money, and
hurts the credibility and reputation of those who are really disabled,
and, by the way, the reputation of lawyers who represent the disabled.
You
have to be sure of your facts, of course. There are a lot of people who
do not look disabled, or who can do a certain amount of work, but
cannot maintain employment because of conditions that are not obvious
to the eye, or are intermittent.
If you are concerned about
liability for wrongfully reporting someone, and you should be, you
should talk to a lawyer about that problem before reporting anyone.
The Administration has the following ways to report fraud:
The SSA Internet site has a
SSA Public Fraud Reporting Page, and some guidelines for reporting fraud.
You
can fax in a fraud report to 410-597-0118, or call it in at
1-800-269-0271 between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time;
if you are deaf use TTY: 1-866-501-2101.
If you get an
uncooperative person on the phone you might try hanging up and calling
again; you will almost certainly get a different operator, and finally
a helpful one.
That all looks pretty on paper, but as you
have said, the reality is that the Administration is doing little to
actually follow up on these cases. If that does not work, you can try
contacting a newspaper in your area, or organizing some sort of
campaign to fund the Social Security Inspector General's office so they
can hire more agents, which will cost a little but save a lot in the
long run.
As a long shot that probably won't work, you might try the GAO Fraud Reporting Webpage.
The GAO, or General Accounting Office, is independent of the
Administration, and directly under the Congress, and so is more
designed for reporting fraud within the Administration itself.
If
anyone is reading this is drawing a check and working under the table,
or drawing a check and is not disabled, you should be aware that,
though the law is only erratically enforced, the penalties are life
shattering, it is enforced in fits and starts now, and well might be
enforced vigorously in the future, at which point merely stopping the
illegal activity will not be enough to get you out of serious trouble.
You live night and day with a sword hanging over your head, suspended
by a thread. Will it fall? I don't know but I know that if you have any
capacity for reflection it should haunt your dreams.
Abuses
like this tend to grow until those in power are forced to say, "enough"
and do something that stops the abuse. Until that happens, foolish
people look around and see others committing fraud without getting
punished and assume they never will be. If the Inspector General's
office is funded to investigate fraud vigorously in 2009, it will be
too late to quit then; you are headed to the big house.
(Message edited by admin on July 02, 2005) |
Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 07, 2005 - 5:15 pm: |
|
Hello,
I know of a person who has been collecting disability and is not
disabled.. I know for a fact because she is a relative. We have seen
her digging holes for fences, climbing on roofs to do repairs, hauling
bricks,etc.etc.etc.She works harder than most men I know.. I want to
report her, but do not want her to find out. Do you have any advice?? |
Paul McChesney (Admin)
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 1291
Registered: 5-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 05, 2005 - 8:42 am: |
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