[navjack27]

Yeah I'm on SSI and yeah, if you have more than 2k in your bank that's it. It's not adjusted to where you live either. You gotta set up a special account to hold money or something, it's confusing. But yes, always contest, always explain calmly. They just need to know nothing is actively being done to abuse the system and open communication helps this. My account went over once because my dad was helping me pay off credit cards and I think we just called up SSI and told them what was going on and the money would only be in my account for a short time.

But yeah, remember that it's simply bureaucracy and not police lol. Explaining and talking won't get her in further trouble. It will only help.

Edit: she should try to get ahold of a local HUD or housing assistance program. They help people with SSI and could end up assisting in future events like this. They can also make sure that she is getting all of the assistance that she can. If her rent and utilities bill was adjusted for the fact she is on SSI then situations like this could be minimized.

[io_oi]

Thanks for sharing your story — it's helpful to have even a few other stories of people who went through this.

Partly its the mystery and nuance of figuring out _how_ to talk to these people since it's not obvious which levers to pull. I feel like I am reverse-engineering a mysterious API.

I don't think she is going to be able to manage complex finances, it is starting to get to confusing for her, this is all completely overwhelming to her. It does feel like a misstep can be penalized.

And each phone call requires hours to visit which is very hard for her.

She doesn't have any family to help her navigate the system.

Good idea to talk to HUD / housing assistance programs.