Hello all,

Welcome to the 4th month of the year. In this episode we have tax day, spring cleaning, and this crusty old curmudgeon turns the ripe old age of 59 (on the 6th). other than that, a normal month just like any other.

Jim

 

Happy Fool's Day NorCal!

 

Well April is a fresh start. Grandma died and my fiancé and I decided it best to part ways in March, and Im glad to put it behind me. Get to finish some projects around the house and work on the "Green Demon" a bit, maybe get around to those up-pipes on the 7.3. Heres to a better month than last.

 

How D people of Nor Cali , at the Street Fair doin my good deed for the swim team

 

Nick,,Wish you all the luck this ol pork an cheese (portague) can muster. What part of Sac area? I spent time in Orangevale for a few years and absolutely loved it up there. Not time in jail. After HS

 

Good for you an bubbles.

 

Out by Roseville.

 

Sorry to hear about your Grandma Nick.

Scott, good luck to Lil Bubble, hope you two don't get sun burned.

Jim

 

Happy April everyone...2017 is slipping away fast!

 

Hello all,

Happy Sunday. Hope everyone has a blessed day.

Well I got some bad news today. Just found out from the Social Security website, that my monthly checks will only be $948 instead of $1,082. This on top of the fact that the VA has stopped sending me the $133.17 a month benefit check last month, and this month. So my income has dropped 24% (and my portion of the rent has gone up $21 starting last month) in the last 45 days. They (SSI) state they are taking $134 out of the $1,082 for medical insurance as of March 2017. Since when do Social Security people pay for insurance? I cannot call or go in until tomorrow, but it sounds more like the VA attaching my check than medical insurance. Besides, the VA just sent me a letter confirming I do not need medical insurance, since they fulfill the requirement. So it has to be that stupid education benefit bill they claim I owe.

It took the VA two weeks last month to tell me they checks stopped because I owed the local VA hospital $2,030. However, when I went to the hospital billing office, they told me that I owe them nothing as I am exempt due to the service connected disability. So I contact the VA in Minnesota again, and this time they tell me it is an education bill from 1999. I told them that is impossible since I didn't use my VA education benefits in 1999. So they are putting a tracer on it, but say it will be 3-4 weeks for an answer. So I sent a letter to Senator Kamala D. Harris this past Wednesday asking for her help. Now this. I will be sending her another letter telling her about this. If I thought it would do any good, I would go to the SSI office tomorrow and stand in line for an hour or so and talk to someone. However, I seriously doubt anything will change just because I complain to them.

Besides, money is so tight right now, I don't have bus fare, and I need to conserve what little gas I have left in the tank as my next check does not get here until the 12th. If the VA had not stopped my checks, I would have been paid on Friday. It didn't help that on top of all this, my car registration, and my drivers license were all due in April, so I paid them out of last month's $1,082 check. However, since no check Friday, and another 10 days to go for my reduced SSDI check, I will just retreat into my man cave, and live like a hermit for a bit. main concern is food to last until then, but I am sure my church will help in that department. So I just need to wait it out. I don't know how fast the senator can get this taken care of, but I will pray it happens quickly.

Sorry just needed to get this off my chest, otherwise my high blood pressure will get even higher, and send me to the hospital.

Jim

 

Jim, sorry to hear the bureaucratic **** up you are going through. My mother is in a similar boat, except someone redirected her SSI check to another bank in another state.

On a lighter note, just sitting here enjoying the weather before the next round of storms hit and catching. Up on non work related paperwork.

 

Happy Mustang Monday fellow Nor-Cal members!

Busy day today, going to the food stamp place, the section 8 place, and Social Security all in one day. Should be a long boring day of waiting. LOL

Jim

 

Jim,

Sorry to hear what your going through. Monday for me is consisting of signing apart bank accounts and joint phone plans..than drag my butt to work.

 

Hello all,

Well, I was able to make some progress today. Made it to all 3 government agencies, and spent the most time at the SSI office, which was my last stop. Apparently when you are on disability for 24 months you are automatically enrolled in Medicare. I did not know that. And Open enrollment ends March 31st, and since I did not decline or specify any particular plan, they enrolled me in a plan of their choosing. I was able to withdrawal from part B, but they will still take out money this month and next month to cover premiums, but it will go back to $1,082 in June. So the next two months will be real tight unless the senator can get the VA to reverse their garnishment some time before June.

Jim

 

Baton down the H2o hatches Gents , a Storm is a Brewin, our city says were not out of the Drought ,even though it's a good thing to not waist water , Who Benefits from the overcharging , that irrigation district and City bills you for , talk about Hi way robbery , thanks State of Cali 4 nia , another dead pasture this year while Almonds flourish , if you guys see beef on sale ya better stock up.