Description: This is a story about a woman who collects a Disability check and works. It describes how she worked, how she quit and how she wound up.
Lela's Two Checks -------------------------------------------
Lela was just leaving her bank after cashing her fifteenth disability check. On top of that she is working at a job that pays her $1900 per month. Her employer doesn’t know that she is receiving a disability check.
Lela’s landlord/Administrator of the facility where she lives asked her, “Lela! Why are you still working and collecting a monthly disability check?”
“Ralph, the check is legally mine. I can make as much money as I want. I’m 60 years old and retired.”
“Lela! That is a disability check. You cannot work and receive that disability check any more. You will have to quit work and just collect your monthly check. Either that or continue to work and not collect your disability check.”
“I’ll continue to collect the check and work at the same time.”
“I don’t like the idea of your working and getting the disability check also. I’ll file a report with the owner and leave it up to him.”
About a month later, Lela received a Notice of Planned Action from Social Security. She read it and said to her self, “Oh! My.” The notice told her that they would be stopping her disability payments because she was working. They also told her that they would be taking $100 per month towards her overpayment of $12,000 was recovered. She read it and went to the administrator’s office.
“Ralph! I’ve just received a Notice of Planned Action from Social Security. I’ve as you’ve told me been working and still collecting my monthly disability check. They will be taking out $100 a month from my check until the total amount of $12,000 is recovered. I’m also quitting my job and can I still remain here.”
“I’m glad that you decided to quit your job. You can still remain in the same room with the same roommate. Your rent will still be the same.”
“Thanks, lunch is in an hour and I’ll be there. I’m glad that you allowed me to remain in the facility and in the same room.”
Six years later, Lela was still living at the facility run by Ralph. She completed a curriculum of study and got her a good job in a stable industry. She also went to Social Security to tell them about her new job. They told her that she was 66 years old and would only lose her SSI for the Aged check. She would still be collecting her Social Security check with no deductions. Her debt was paid off on her Sixty-Sixth Birthday. She would also be able to make $800 on her job and not lose any money.
She worked for the company until her Seventy Fifth Birthday and then became fully retired. She also lived on her own after her 69th Birthday until she was 80 years old. Several months into her 80th year of life she passed away.
485 Words
December 10, 2006
I don't understand why. It's a little biography of the last ten years of her life but the style seems like it would be a fable. Is the moral of the story: collect two checks if you want, things will turn out?
Submission Name: Lela's Two Checks
