just can't stand it anymore!!!!!! VENT RANT

[MKCP5]

I know that none of you believe that unemployment pays that well, and I know there is a cap for what you can collect per week. BUT I have first hand experience of it here in MA. When I was laid off I was making
45K/year. I receieved $576.00 per WEEK in unemployment. My neighbor's husband was making double that amount of money, so He is probably getting something close to that amount

MA is the at the very top of the USA in what is paid out for unemployment benefits

 

[tiggerpoohtoo]

You would be shocked as to how common this is. Im a teacher and we see this kinda of thing alot. Currently we have a mom who is trying everything under the sun to get her child classified as disabled to keep collecting ssi. Our school nurse is finally about had it and getting very concerned for the safety and welfare of the child and has reported her. We have a mom who has 6 kids(by different men, all of them) She gives the kids to her mom but claims the kids on her SSI and welfare. Its really a sad situation. But in our town its kinda a norm. Not everyone here is like this of course. I have actually had a parent tell me the more kids they have the more money they get and they do not plan on stopping. I have parents tells us they are entitled to it and its their right. These are generally the same parents who will not come to a parent conference and we have to make a home visit. I think some states do not see this as much as others. These are not people who have lost jobs either. They have not had jobs in years or ever. Our town has jobs not easy ones mind you, but good paying jobs. You will work a 50 to 60 hour week but that is over time at double pay with hourly jobs starting at 15-20$ an hour. Our walmart can't even keep people employed because they fail the drug test.

 

[MKCP5]

While I understand your frustration, it sounds like you're frustrated with your life - "but we work SO HARD for what little we have, and are grateful for what we have, yet they are sucking the system dry and are using the money to pay for things we could never afford," and pointing the finger at them.

I also suspect the $700 week unemployment - that doesn't sound right at all - that just can't be right - no one gets that much! And, people can get thrown out for not paying the mortgage. As stated, you need to report this if it's true, instead of griping about it. It doesn't do anyone any good for you to complain to the wrong people. Take action.

I love my life--we do work hard, like everyone else. But I don't like paying for someone else who had intentionally committed fraud for years and years now.

You are wrong about the mortgage. Yes you can get thrown out for not paying, but it depends on your situation, and Obama put in a ton of new law last year directed at this very thing so more people can stay in their homes.

I have checked out who to call--and am wokring up the courage to call and take the consequences if she finds out it was me.

 

[crisi]

I agree, report them. Repor them to the welfare office. If the first call doesn't get you anywhere, call the supervisor. If that doesn't get you anywhere, keep calling. Call your State Reps office or the newspaper if you have to.

People who are defrauding welfare do more than hurt those of us who "work hard and pay taxes" - they also leave less in the system and less support for those who need services. But also consider that they may not, in fact, actually be guilty of fraud - that is for the welfare investigation team to decide.

 

[MKCP5]

I agree, report them. Repor them to the welfare office. If the first call doesn't get you anywhere, call the supervisor. If that doesn't get you anywhere, keep calling. Call your State Reps office or the newspaper if you have to.

People who are defrauding welfare do more than hurt those of us who "work hard and pay taxes" - they also leave less in the system and less support for those who need services. But also consider that they may not, in fact, actually be guilty of fraud - that is for the welfare investigation team to decide.

Agreed--she may be lying about all of it. That is for someone else to decide.

 

[angwill]

My advice is be proud of yourself and DH for living your life the way you feel is the right way. Be proud you both work so hard and pay your bills. Hold you head up and forget the neighbor and how she feels is the right way to live.

I am sure if you think about it the way other people choose to live is no reason to get your blood pressure up and possibly effect your health over it. As the state worker said they won't do anything about it so try to forget about it since there is nothing you can do. If it bothers you so bad tell her how you feel and get it out of your system once and for all.

 

[Ava]

I think you should MYOB. There is no law that she had to get married and there are plenty of other people in the US who can't pay their mortgage because they were laid off.

But there are laws with regards to collecting welfare or other state aid. You are supposed to report all income in the household, regardless of marital status. If the OP's neighbor is telling the truth, she & her "husband" are living together but not reporting his income on her welfare application. They are (possibly, if this is true) committing welfare fraud.

 

[robinb]

But there are laws with regards to collecting welfare or other state aid. You are supposed to report all income in the household, regardless of marital status. If the OP's neighbor is telling the truth, she & her "husband" are living together but not reporting his income on her welfare application. They are (possibly, if this is true) committing welfare fraud.

Where did the OP say that she knows that the neighbor is not reporting the BF's income?

 

[MKCP5]

Where did the OP say that she knows that the neighbor is not reporting the BF's income?

She told me she gets everythinig as a single parent with no income

 

[taymaesmom]

A lady I worked with was doing this too and her sister in law got mad at her and turned her in. She got booted from her govt subsided housing, no food stamps, no medical card for her (her son got to keep his), no break on her utilities etc. Poor thing thinks the world is so unfair cause she now has to pay full price for everything and actually has to work full time now and so does her boyfriend. I just looked at her and welcomed her to the real world!

 

[eliza61]

Wow! Harsh much? As usual when you post on the Dis there are always people who attack without knowing all the facts.

You are WRONG about the forclosure policy in our country right now. If you hire a foreclosure attorney, and you are collecting unemployment, and have lost your job through no fault of your own, not only can they not foreclose, when you do get a job they have to work with you to adjust your mortgage to a rate that you can afford to pay.

Next, I wouldn't call it jealousy. I wouldn't want her life. But it does bother me to know that I am paying for all that she and her husband and three children receieve and that she has not problem abusing things this way.



Thanks for your thoughts..................

1. You can report anonymously, never have to give name or address.
2. Attorneys are required to work legally. If she is hiring an attorney and he is falsifying information than he would be in a boat load of trouble. so either she is doing her loan modification above board or she is not telling you the truth. I doubt if she is getting an attorney and the bank to turn a blind eye.
If her husband worked previously then he is entitled to his unemployment. He can use his benefits to pay his mortgage and have it remodified. that is not illegal or unethical. You cannot remodifiy your mortgage and pay nothing. The attorney and the bank will work with you to pay less or catch up but I doubt highly that she is paying nothing. Do people produce fake documents? sure. any system we have is going to have some crook working the angles to get around it.
3. I'm not harsh. You say your mad about it, you have the power to do some thing about it. I have the information you posted. If you know for a fact that she is getting subsidized electric, water, food stamps, unemployment and she is not eligible for it, and you feel you are paying for it, then do some thing. Posters here have given you many avenues to blow the whistle safely.

 

[robinb]

She told me she gets everythinig as a single parent with no income

But isn't she technically a single parent with no income? Did she specifically tell you that she is not reporting her BF's income? Or are you assuming that she isn't?

 

[deerhart]

the max amount of unemployment in virginia is around $360 a week..
wonder how he gets $700?

unemployment varies by state. here the max is like $320 a week, but cross the river in Illinois the max is like 75% of your previous income.

 

[keishashadow]

I know that none of you believe that unemployment pays that well, and I know there is a cap for what you can collect per week. BUT I have first hand experience of it here in MA. When I was laid off I was making 45K/year. I receieved $576.00 per WEEK in unemployment. My neighbor's husband was making double that amount of money, so He is probably getting something close to that amount

MA is the at the very top of the USA in what is paid out for unemployment benefits

Congrats on living in such a generous state. As im sure u realize, taxes still must be paid on unemployment benefits...not a stretch to state near 30% @ tax time if they don't have them deducted from their UC checks

But there are laws with regards to collecting welfare or other state aid. You are supposed to report all income in the household, regardless of marital status. If the OP's neighbor is telling the truth, she & her "husband" are living together but not reporting his income on her welfare application. They are (possibly, if this is true) committing welfare fraud.

as are many senior citizens living on fixed incomes who won't marry & risk getting smaller checks.

OP i have a niece who is a social worker. You'd be surprised @ the number of parents who sign their kids over to their parents so they can collect welfare benes for the kids. Interestingly, during home visits; the parents are observed living in the duplex next door.It's perfectly legit as the parents are supposed to pay % of child support but most of them work under the table avoiding it.

I do find it odd though (since you apparently dislike the neighbor and she's not a good fit for the neighborhood) why you bother listening to all the gory details about the her lifestyle anyway? who knows if 1/2 of it is true? Even if she's speaking the truth life is too short to deal with that sort, once the BFs UC runs out they'll be out on the street as the mortgage foreberance program will then cease.

 

[chaoslobster]

I am permanently disabled, so I spend a lot of time at home... every day on the morning television I see these commercials for welfare lawyers who will "fight" to get you accepted for disability benefits. It's always puzzled me. When I applied for SSI, I simply walked into the office with my application, had a very brief physical with a government doctor, sent over medical records from my current team of physicians and surgeons, and signed some papers. There was no fighting involved.

I tend to think that part of the problem is that if you have to "fight" to get accepted for disability you probably shouldn't be getting it. Somebody on SSI who has a personal trainer? Do you know how many years of my life or how much money I would pay just to be physically able to exercise? Grr. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but they are exceptions. For me the hardest part of the approval process was that to qualify for the benefits I receive you need to have paid into the system for a certain number of fiscal quarters, and as I've been disabled since I was a child and have never been capable of holding a job outside the home, I had to scramble for the documentation of having held an online position for a couple of years and paid social security out of the $200 per month I made there.

I get about $475 each month combined from the feds and the state. I live at home with my parents and don't drive so no gas or rent to pay for, so it's enough for me. It's probably more than I need, honestly. I'm very lucky in that I automatically qualify for Medicaid but I have never needed to use it, as my father is Teamsters and my mother a public school teacher so our health insurance is excellent, and it's a good thing with how much my medical expenses cost! It scares me what would happen if I had to depend on Medicaid; half of my treatments would never be approved and I'd probably be completely bedridden instead of just stuck in the house.

Most of my spending money gets saved up so I can take myself and my sister to Disney once a year for my birthday. Yee ha!

 

[MKCP5]

But isn't she technically a single parent with no income? Did she specifically tell you that she is not reporting her BF's income? Or are you assuming that she isn't?

She has received health benefits for 9 years as a single parent w/no income while living with the man she refers to as her husband who she is not married to so that she did not have to pay for a family plan through his insurance and could have free healthcare

 

[tnmt]

NO, you should not MYOB!!! The other poster probably is doing the same thing and that is why they say that. LOL. No, you don't have to get married but you need to turn all income in the household in. Obviously she is not doing this or she wouldn't qualify for all this stuff. Evidently she didn't tell who the father is either or they would be going after the dad for child support and he is supposed to provide insurance for his children! Please don't listen to the ones saying MYOB. Please do our country a favor and report this fraud! Thank you for helping us that actually do work and pay taxes to support these BUMS!

 

[tnmt]

NO she is not a single parent with no income! She has a BOYFRIEND that was working and not reporting his income.

 

[robinb]

She has received health benefits for 9 years as a single parent w/no income while living with the man she refers to as her husband who she is not married to so that she did not have to pay for a family plan through his insurance and could have free healthcare

OK ... so what's your point? Plenty of people don't get married because by doing so they lose benefits they are eligible for as a single person. Plenty of OTHER people get married because they GAIN benefits eligible only to spouses. I don't see the problem as long as she reported the BF's income when she applied for her benefits.

 

[MKCP5]

1. You can report anonymously, never have to give name or address.
2. Attorneys are required to work legally. If she is hiring an attorney and he is falsifying information than he would be in a boat load of trouble. so either she is doing her loan modification above board or she is not telling you the truth. I doubt if she is getting an attorney and the bank to turn a blind eye.
If her husband worked previously then he is entitled to his unemployment. He can use his benefits to pay his mortgage and have it remodified. that is not illegal or unethical. You cannot remodifiy your mortgage and pay nothing. The attorney and the bank will work with you to pay less or catch up but I doubt highly that she is paying nothing. Do people produce fake documents? sure. any system we have is going to have some crook working the angles to get around it.
3. I'm not harsh. You say your mad about it, you have the power to do some thing about it. I have the information you posted. If you know for a fact that she is getting subsidized electric, water, food stamps, unemployment and she is not eligible for it, and you feel you are paying for it, then do some thing. Posters here have given you many avenues to blow the whistle safely.

I am working up the stuff to call.............. I actually did just a few minutes ago but when they put me on hold I got cold feet and hung up. I'm getting there though.

The husband is totally entitled to his unemployment. He was laid off from a good job. My understanding ( and she could be lying or I could be misunderstanding her) is that they cannot modify the loan becuase he no longer has a job. So they were advised to continue not paying while he recieves unemployment (becuase the new law says they cannot be foreclosed on) and when he finds a job a modification would be done at that time. The mortgage is in his name. She is not on it.