The Social Security Administration and the U.S. Government are not playing games when it comes to fraudulent Social Security Disability claims. The requirements for reporting changes are made clear to claimants before they begin receiving benefits. Those who are receiving benefits but are unclear about the requirements to continue receiving benefits would be well advised to consult a Social Security Disability lawyer.
Recently, a 61-year-old woman from Danbury, Connecticut was sentenced to three years of probation and 100 hours of community service for fraudulently receiving in excess of $45,000 in disability benefits payments. In addition, Jean Jones has been ordered to pay back all of the money which was given to her under fraudulent conditions.
Apparently, this isn’t the first time Ms. Jones has tried this. Her benefit payments had already been terminated once before when it was discovered that she had been working and not reporting her activity or income to the Social Security Administration. All accounts seem to indicate that she had been working and simultaneously collecting disability benefits for over two years before she was caught.
The truly sad thing in this entire situation is that there was no need, short of pure greed, for Ms. Jones to do this. The Social Security Administration has programs built in to its disability programs, which allow for disabled workers to try returning to work without risking their disability benefits. Not only do these programs offer returning workers a safety net if they find that they still are unable to perform the tasks they once performed, but they also allow you to continue collecting some or all of your Social Security Disability benefits while collecting your paycheck.
So, in the end, was it worth it? Then again, this was the second time she’s been caught collecting unemployment while working surreptitiously. This whole story begs the question of why she was granted benefits the second time around. This time, she collected disability benefits on both herself and her disabled daughter. Surely, the Social Security Administration can keep better track of those who commit fraud.
Apparently, Judge Mark Kravitz agrees. Starting back to work while you’re collecting Social Security Disability benefit payments isn’t a crime in and of itself, but failing to report this to the Social Security Administration so they can use the information to bring your file up-to-date and determine whether you are still eligible for disability benefits is.
It can be tempting to try to get one over on the state, especially if you have an opportunity to work on the side for cash. You have to ask yourself, though, whether the risk is worth it. If you are caught, you will have to repay much more than the money you made. You might end up receiving a termination of benefits notice and having to repay all of the disability payments for the entire time you were doubling up by working and collecting full disability benefits at the same time. If you fraudulently collected SSI benefits, this amount would be calculated in accordance with the federal benefit rate. And that’s not worth the risk in any sane person’s judgment.
