Community Chat

[Lucky Charm]

On 3/15/2015 missy1 said:

The woman got 160,000 in 30 years, and a year in jail.

I'd rather the woman pay back the $160,000. Immediately.

[cody2]

On 3/15/2015 sophiamarie said:

That woman is no dummy. She knew darn well those checks didn't belong to her because they were made out to her mother.

I don't know why 60 Minutes was so easy on her, saying that she really didn't need the money because she and her husband were making a good living, both having good jobs, etc. Yet, she never made any effort to call SSA or just refuse the checks. She thought she would get away with it and she did for 30 years......Now, she will go to jail for a year and I wonder if she has to pay that money back?

She said she and her mother spoke before mom's death, and mom said she would be entitled to money. So, she thought that was the money??? LOL

I couldn't believe that 60 Minutes gave any credibility to this woman's story. She went on and on about how she lived her life, worked, paid her bills and did everything right and NOW she is a felon. I am sorry but that woman had been getting those checks into her joint account in her mother's name for a long time. And then the checks just kept going into the joint account in her mother's name after mom's death? Why did she still have that joint account long after her mother's death and why wasn't the check in the daughter's name if it was hers. Phooey. It walks like a duck.

[hckynut]

You ask why? With 49% in our country receiving benefits from the! Can you say they feel ""entitled""?

[KathyPet]

On 3/15/2015 cody2 said:

On 3/15/2015 sophiamarie said:

That woman is no dummy. She knew darn well those checks didn't belong to her because they were made out to her mother.

I don't know why 60 Minutes was so easy on her, saying that she really didn't need the money because she and her husband were making a good living, both having good jobs, etc. Yet, she never made any effort to call SSA or just refuse the checks. She thought she would get away with it and she did for 30 years......Now, she will go to jail for a year and I wonder if she has to pay that money back?

She said she and her mother spoke before mom's death, and mom said she would be entitled to money. So, she thought that was the money??? LOL

I couldn't believe that 60 Minutes gave any credibility to this woman's story. She went on and on about how she lived her life, worked, paid her bills and did everything right and NOW she is a felon. I am sorry but that woman had been getting those checks into her joint account in her mother's name for a long time. And then the checks just kept going into the joint account in her mother's name after mom's death? Why did she still have that joint account long after her mother's death and why wasn't the check in the daughter's name if it was hers. Phooey. It walks like a duck.

I agree they really gave her a pass on what she did. She kept getting that money month after month thinking she was entitled to collect disability benefits when she wasn't disabled and her mother whose benefits they were is dead 30 years. Oh Please. Do we look,stupid 60 Minutes ? Like we're falling for that story.? She deserves her year in jail at a minimum and she should have to,pay every penny of that money back with interest and penalties.

[Kachina624]

I don't know how that woman sat and participated in that interview with a straight face. No way could she believe she was entitled to that money.

[guatmum]

The OP is asking why this woman seemed to feel entitled to receive someone else's benefits. It is possible she is confused. After all, adults collect SS that they didn't earn all the time - SS earned by one spouse is regularly collected by the other spouse even if the surviving spouse never worked a day in her life. Widowed adults "feel entitled" to collect money they never earned. Maybe the woman was under the impression that, just as a married person can "leave" their benefits to a surviving spouse, ANY adult can leave their benefits to another person in their family. In reality, that's the way it should be.

[KathyPet]

On 3/16/2015 guatmum said:

The OP is asking why this woman seemed to feel entitled to receive someone else's benefits. It is possible she is confused. After all, adults collect SS that they didn't earn all the time - SS earned by one spouse is regularly collected by the other spouse even if the surviving spouse never worked a day in her life. Widowed adults "feel entitled" to collect money they never earned. Maybe the woman was under the impression that, just as a married person can "leave" their benefits to a surviving spouse, ANY adult can leave their benefits to another person in their family. In reality, that's the way it should be.

You are missing the point here. The mother was collecting disability payments not her SS. Disability payments are not Social Security. They are. Intended to ensure that disabled people have a certain minimum income. Think of it as a form of welfare for the disabled. You don't have to ever have paid a penny in SS to get disability payments. When the disabled person dies the payments stop. The daughter is not "disabled". Why would anyone with a brain think that they were entitled to get disability payments that belonged to someone else. No, she wasn't confused. She was scamming the system and she got caught.

[Lila Belle]

On 3/15/2015 hckynut said: You ask why? With 49% in our country receiving benefits from the! Can you say they feel "entitled"?

That includes the millions of seniors who receive Social Security, widows, children. Yes, they are "entitled."

If you get Social Security then count yourself in that number as well. You earned it !

[peppersmom2]

On 3/16/2015 KathyPet said:

On 3/16/2015 guatmum said:

The OP is asking why this woman seemed to feel entitled to receive someone else's benefits. It is possible she is confused. After all, adults collect SS that they didn't earn all the time - SS earned by one spouse is regularly collected by the other spouse even if the surviving spouse never worked a day in her life. Widowed adults "feel entitled" to collect money they never earned. Maybe the woman was under the impression that, just as a married person can "leave" their benefits to a surviving spouse, ANY adult can leave their benefits to another person in their family. In reality, that's the way it should be.

You are missing the point here. The mother was collecting disability payments not her SS. Disability payments are not Social Security. They are. Intended to ensure that disabled people have a certain minimum income. Think of it as a form of welfare for the disabled. You don't have to ever have paid a penny in SS to get disability payments. When the disabled person dies the payments stop. The daughter is not "disabled". Why would anyone with a brain think that they were entitled to get disability payments that belonged to someone else. No, she wasn't confused. She was scamming the system and she got caught.

I didn't see the show but from reading here lots of information is missing. If the mother where collecting disability payments SS would have contacted her every few years to document she was still disabled and unable to work. This involves papers from your doctor confirming your disability. If SS received such papers after the mothers death that would be proof of the daughters fraud. I am also wondering if 30 years ago checks where direct deposited like today. Did the daughter receive a physical check or was it deposited into an account in her mothers name? I think what this story points out is there needs to be a different way for SS to learn of deaths. I think the states or counties that file the death certificate need to be the agency that inform SS and not leave it up to the family. The funeral director had all the paperwork for me to do for my mother.

[dobiesrule]

I almost always watch 60 Minutes, but missed it last night. Hard for me to believe this woman didn't know what she was doing. I absolutely think she should go to jail and pay back every penny. What about her husband? He surely knew about the payments. Don't tell me he also thought she was entitled to them. Jail for him, too?