The 2009 stimulus package signed by president Obama contains quite a few financial stimulus for many different parts of the population. Infrastructure spending, tax cuts make up most of the bill but one of the key aspects to the package is a special cash payment. This won’t be like the general stimulus check of last year but will be given to select groups.
[update - find out about the new $250 stimulus check in 2010 for SSI recipients]
[update - find out about the new $250 stimulus check in 2010 for Social Security recipients]
[update Dec 16 - $250 stimulus check in 2010 - Is it enough?]
$250 stimulus check in 2009
A one time payment of $250 will be paid out in 2009 for people in the following groups:
- People currently receiving Social Security.
- State government retirees not eligible for Social Security.
- Disabled Veterans receiving pensions from the Department of Veteran Affairs.
- People receiving SSI payments. Supplemental Security Income payments are for people who have little to no income and is intended to meet the basic needs for food, clothing and shelter.
When will I get my stimulus check?
Treasury is supposed to start sending out these checks as soon as possible. This site will be updated when more information becomes available.
EDIT (Mar 11) – Please check out this new post for detailed information on the $250 stimulus check.
More information (update May 2009)
Social Security 2009 stimulus check.
Social Security Recipients Stimulus Check 2010 – FAQ
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James….I DID hear of another person losing their $250 for some silly debt owed to the gov’t….
It’s like the first stimulus that went out to people with kids…..all those people that owed back child support lost the check to their state for back child support!!!
Why bother issue the check IF the people aren’t going to get it bc they have debts!?!?!?! C-R-A-Z-Y!!!
Good Luck to all of you whom are trying to get yours!!
i get ssi do i get a check for 250 back
Yeh, It is November and I have went thru VA and dahlkempers office and being a 70% disabled VET what do you have to do? I owe nothing thru VA, no back taxes, def no child support. What do you have to do and VA says we are working it. You know tomorrow is VETERANS Day, Thank You Veterans for all you do and thanks Uncle Sam for putting the boot up our four point of contact after retirement. I take that we are just a number.
Olson….I have read that there will be another $250 check given out to people on SSI, retirees, vets, and the disabled sometime in the first quarter of 2010….we just have to wait n see what happens I guess…It certainly helps here in my household….:)
What, so ppl that are middle to low class don’t need money for help too? Everything is going up.
Roger…I don’t know your situation n don’t need to. BUT if you remember people that worked and those that had families collected far more than the retiree, ssi, vets, and disabled are getting!! N collected way earlier as well!! Retirees, vets, disabled, and ssi were LAST to get, N and got LESS….WE didn’t hand it out, we only collected….:(
Well, here it is 2010, 2009 come and gone. No stimulus payment, and I have been looking every month at my starting balance and nothing. Any news when disabled vets are supposed to get it?
I don’t know what is happening with our money. We Vets got no COLA because “there was no increase in living costs”. Maybe not in 2009, but as of Jan. 1st, prices jumped anywhere from 20% to 300%. Once again we get the short end of the stick
In the end on Jan 2010 here and i am disabled vet and still i did not get a check… what the hell obama? once again obama fails, but whats new?
Apparently, if you get the 250 dollars.. when you go to file taxes.. you will have to give it back. Or so we’re learning now that we’re filing our taxes.. our return will be 250 less than what we originally thought… So I guess it doesnt matter if you get it now or not.. one way or another it goes right back to where it came from.
Well, I fought for mine and finally received my 250 in the month of december 2009. Did my taxes for 2009 just minutes ago and they took it back. Was never explained that if two in household worked then you pay it back. For all of us veterans who have served our country, there, they stuck that rod 3/4 of the way up our back side.
Thank you Uncle Sam for taking care of our veterans. The hell with our government.
That’s Obama for you
when i looked on the white house page i found this …….
Seniors & Social Security
Progress
The Recovery Act provides a one-time payment of $250 to retirees, disabled veterans, and SSI recipients. Over 64 million retirees and other individuals will receive this one-time payment, totaling $16 billion
doesnt say when or anything but maybe just maybe we will get it soon
@ John Walker – I just did my taxers and saw the same thing – except I am a single income family and they still took it, so it has nothing to do with being dual income or not. I think they may have stuck the entire rod up, not just 3/4.
It would be nice if the news got a hold of this (not that the main stream media would) but all the Obama administration said was this great stimulus plan for veterans – nothing about paying it back at tax time. I am disgusted with this, though we should not be surprised.
It could be worse. I did NOT receive a stim payment, but they are still taking it back from my taxes.
The PR version of this tax issue is that they added (I think) a new $400 tax credit that everyone can get. But the $250 is being treated as an advance on that, a loan if you will. This kinda makes sense because so many people who weren’t qualified for the original $250 complained that it was unfair, that it gave the money to people who weren’t working rather than those who were, etc. Ironically now this “solution” is just as biased toward the non-working who don’t file tax returns at all.
Now, to someone like me, that means that I lose $250 from my tax return because I “should have” gotten a stim payment. I did eventually figure out that the payment was made, but not to me: DFAS intercepted the money to put toward a service debt which I’ve been in the process of fighting. So I’m annoyed, but I’m not really sure who to be annoyed at.
Hey I have posted an article in the erie times news and just talked with a rep who will have someone who reads articles and will let me know if it will be placed in erie times news paper and when. This whole thing is not good for the average VET.
Excellent John!
I also wrote to several editors in my area. I am not as upset at the $250 as I am at the deliberate Media blitz about how much he cares about veterans, and then behind the scenes takes it right back.
i still havent heard IF congress past the bill. when i call social security they said they dont know anything. i live on 674.00 a month while raising a child.i would LOVE to see congress go one month living on what we get on SSI. they couldnt do it.they would be passing that bill quick if they had too try and make ends meet on less then 700.00 a month. i am wondering if it is going to be past i hope they take into consideration the veterans the disabled and the elderly.
So much for that $250.00 stimulus check we recieved last year! When doinf taxes this month, the government put that $250.00 right back in their pocket. Wow thanks for nothing, i guess its the thought that counts? Or is someone just trying to look good!
I just did my taxes for 2009 as well and they actually took $280 which is more than what they gave us! I’m mad as hell! In the letter I received about getting the one time payment it never said they would take it back! I thought we didn’t have to claim that as income?!
We used Turbo tax, the Gov’t rejected our 1040 because of the $250 Stim Check that I qual for as a Dis.Vet. They then took it back and penalized us $40. We are at the bottom of a tax bracket, this stinks.
Anyone know of a recourse?
What to do?
Your story is the same as mine, Turbo Tax and rejected refund and all. It more than stinks, it is just plain wrong.
Hey same thing happened to us! we filed our taxes with turbo and it got rejected and then they took the $250 back! why bother then? what is going on? our taxes wouldn’t process until we fixed the error ($250) so we had to give it back!!! that’s bs if u ask me!!
Morning Jay, if you really want to kick the ball off, I suggest you give me a hand and put a push on COLA. This is my pet project I have started. I am putting a push on to get all Senior Citizens and Disabled Vets of America there COLA back in 2011. You are very young and probably don’t have a clue as to what has happend to us Seniors and Disabled Vets this year. So I will get you caught up. In 2008, we were notified that there would be NO COLA for Seniors and Disabled Vets for the year 2009. COLA is the cost of living adjustment and us old timers need this. In 2009, once again they told us there would be no COLA for us in the year 2010. That’s when they got my attention. You can ask any of us on The Four Pillars Sites about the COLA issue and Mr. Orlin E. (OLY) Olson and you will find out about me and my thoughts . The second thing to happen to us was we lost our $250.00 Stimulus Check. I am in the process of starting a New WEBSITE for all Senior Citizens and Disabled Vets to gather and get our voice out. I got your e-mail early this morning and I have been thinking of how I would approach you on this issue. The Stimulus Check Issue is over, done with and I hope you will take the matter of COLA seriously. The Senior Citizens and Disabled Vets like to gather at The Four Pillars Site to talk.
I await your response,
Mr. Orlin E. (OLY) Olson
This is just more of the same….and I’m afraid we haven’t seen anything yet if this administration is able to stick to it’s agenda.
Lets just keep this in mind when it’s time to vote.
Morning Brian Grovesteen, my thoughts exactly and that is why I am in the process of starting up our new WEBSITE. There are a whole bunch of us Seniors and Disabled Vets of America that right now, are just a little hot, and that brings it to me. My intentions are to build a WEBSITE were we all can let our voice be heard. Keep an eye on The Four Pillars Site because I will let all of you know how to get there. I start the ball rolling at 10:00 AM tomorrow morning. When somebody steps on my toes or my friends, that’s when I’m in for the long haul and I don’t quit till the job is done………
OLY
Alright, My question is what is COLA? i am a disabled VET and i just got it last year, i got out of the army in april of 2009 and got my disability, is COLA raising the amount you get for your disability or something else and what qualifies you to get COLA? is it a amount of disability you get? i am new to all of this and dont undertsand it all. please let me know what this cola thing is
Hey Mark,
COLA is Cost Of Living Alouance. Basicly it’s a yearly adjustment in the amount you receive to off set the rising cost of living. Aparently someone who sits in the elite halls of washington (and has probably never served a day in the military) decided this is something we don’t need. Is this suprising?
Who decides that it goes up? does congress vote on it or the senate? who makes the choice that we get it or not?
The $250 stimulus check is NOT taxable. The 2009 1040 instructions specifically says that the $250 stimulus payments are not to be reported as taxable income. It can affect the Work for Credit and the Retiree credits but it is NOT taxable.
Jackie, It might say that but when we did our taxes it would not put it through because we did not include the $250. Once we included it, then it worked. I think that it is so wrong for the government to do that, they might as well not even sent the money out! Actually they didn’t even tax it, they actually took it all back plus an extra $30!!
Joe, I think what may be causing the issue of the $250 being taken back is if you received a stimulus payment AND the Making Work Pay Credit. If you did, the amount of Making Work Pay Credit that you’re eligible for will be reduced by the $250 stimulus payment. The adjustment is figured on either the 1040EZ worksheet or Schedule M, depending on which return form you’re using. I think it would also affect the Retiree Credit by reducing it as well. You couldn’t have both. I also heard that if you were using Turbo Tax, there was a bug in it that resulted in the mis-reporting of the stimulus payment as income…but I don’t know that to be a fact.
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