I have a question for lemmy since it’s comprised of mostly extremely intelligent linux users.
I am poor and supposedly have a particular mental health issue according to many doctors.
I was previously on disability and started working and when I did, I was hit with a huge amount of back taxes and penalties and fees and I was unable to save up anything.
Something bad happened this past year and as a result of this stress and constant ongoing extreme financial stress, I am now having some symptoms. I also work remotely and can’t afford to work remotely because of the aggressive tax collection, since housing and utilities are needed for remote work. If the tax collectors had left me with more money to pay for basic bills and medical care, I probably could have kept working, but the agent handling my case is uncompromising and doesn’t care if I don’t have enough money for medical care. I also make just barely too much at my job to qualify for need-based aid with my situation, which all follow government guidelines that don’t take into account government withholdings. I am not yet evicted, but on track for that and am behind on many bills including rent.
My symptoms now are pretty bad and I have to make plans to reduce expenses and go back on disability. I am having problems working on some days, even when I want to, due to extreme depression, which may have ended up happening even without the tax collectors extreme tactics. I have an offer of some financial help by a family member who on rare occasion was physically and emotionally abusive, but it may involved staying nearby. I probably would not speak with this person at all but for my poverty.
I am also afraid if I accept this help and have this family member in my life, they will somehow become involved in my disability care and be controlling or demanding conservatorship power. I have no records of the extraordinarily infrequent physical abuse, nor do I wish to disclose that in a clinical setting with possibly religious prejudiced zealot clincians who already dislike me, nor would I likely be believed. This person is also old and likely to die within 5 years if not within a year and on some level I feel guilty about not seeing them, but also feel like having this person in my life would show a lack of self-respect.
If I do anything right now to ruin my credit score, I may be stuck where I am, in a higher cost area that I can’t easily afford with only mild job security and no savings, which is precarious.
Can we break this situation down a bit?
Re: income: You’re earning just a little too much for government aid: if you got government aid, would that aid offset the loss of income? Like, if you were earning $100 less a month but got $400 in assistance, I’d say it was worth it. Take a look at the numbers. If it’s worth it, talk with your boss and see if you can get either your hours or your pay cut slightly enough to qualify for government assistance.
Re: the taxes: in my experience, every government process (including tax collection) has an appeal process. You say your agent is relentless and merciless; get in touch with their supervisor, figure out the appeal process. Unless this is a private company, there should be a way to put this on hold; the issue is finding it. It’s a slow season right now; it might be worth it to contact a tax attorney and ask for some free advice.
Re: expenses: Check with your county social services office. A lot of places have programs to possibly help with utilities, like the HEAT program. Unfortunately, some states are significantly more generous with support than others, but it may be worthwhile. Also look into local charities that may be able to help with some kind of expense. Even if it’s not the expense you were looking for help with, any kind of expense-savings is good.
Re: mental health services: check your local universities and colleges to see if any of them offer advanced degrees (Master’s/PhD) in psychotherapy, psychology, sociology, social work, or related fields. For those that do, check if they have a community counseling program (they may or may not). If they do, contact them and see if they’ll accept you as a patient; they might, they might not, or they could put you on a waiting list. They’ll also often have sliding scale payments for therapy, like $10 or $15 a session. Yes, it’ll be another expense, but it’ll be helpful documentation for your disability claim.
If you can’t find anything locally, try farther away; most places started allowing online sessions during the pandemic, and some of them still allow it.