Ask Larry

What Can I Do?

I did not tell SS I won money at the casino and they sent me a letter saying if I did not respond right away I will lose SS and they wanted my tax papers cause I did not file with the IRS I tried calling and asking the casino for the paperwork but they said I had to come there I have no car and it would cost almost 300.00 by cab which I do not have I only get 800.00 and something from SS can they I also wrote them and told them what I just wrote but I was homeless for a year and all my belongings got sold off and my files were there. Please tell me, anything that will help me as I am going crazy and do not want to be homeless again

Hi. I'm sorry, but I don't have a good solution for you. My expertise is limited to Social Security benefits, so I don't know if there is any way for you to get the paperwork that you need from the casino without going there.

I do know that winning money at a casino doesn't affect Social Security benefits, so I assume that what you're receiving is Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI is a needs based program that's administered by Social Security, and any type of change in a person's income or resources can potentially affect their SSI eligibility or payment amount. Because of that, SSI recipients are required to report any changes in their income or resources, including gambling winnings.

All I can suggest is to try getting in touch with your nearest Social Security office and ask to speak with your SSI representative or an SSI technical expert. You can locate a phone number for your nearest office using Social Security's office locator: https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp. Hopefully, they can explain what options you have and how your SSI payments may be affected.

Best, Jerry

Category: 
Posted: 
Feb 12 2022 - 3:02pm
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