From: Freedom Outpost
by
Recently, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has come under
attack for malicious treatment of certain U.S. citizens and groups by
singling them out based upon their personal political preferences. At
this time, it is still unclear where the direct orders came from to
initiate such heinous activities, but what is crystal clear is that this
type of activity is not new for the IRS.
The IRS
has mastered the art of breaking their own laws, one case in
particular; using banks to launder and then steal disabled veterans’
disability checks.
The Veterans Disability Act of 2010 is a Federal law which exempts VA
disability from withholding of any sort. Actually, existing code USC,
Title 38, §5301 already protected VA disability from
withholding, but this provision was re-iterated and included in the
newer legislation of 2010, because too many civil court judges were
legislating from the bench and including veterans’ disability monies as
earned income and granting it to ex-spouses (men and women) in divorce
proceedings, at times, leaving disabled veterans without any safety net
for self-care.
However, the IRS is still figuring out ways to get to a veteran’s disability money. How do I know? Recently, it happened to me.
A couple of months ago, when I logged into my online bank account to
make sure that my VA disability check had been deposited (I am a 60%
disabled veteran of the Iraq War) I saw red and a negative balance, beside which read the word “hold.”
I called my bank and was informed that the IRS had sent a letter
demanding that the bank take all of the available funds out of my
account on the first day of the month and then wire them to them. The
bank gave me a telephone number at which to call the IRS. After being
placed on hold for a very long time- long as in a biblical age- I
finally spoke with an agent.
Long story short; they claim I made $157,000 in 2010 and that I owe
them tons of money, and that until I pay it, a lien will remain on my
personal bank account.
At the beginning of 2010, I was still in the hospital recovering from
injuries I’d sustained while serving in Iraq. I was released early in
the year, but still did not find employment until October, and even
then, it was only part time. I can assure you, as I did the IRS, that I
did not earn $157,000.00. Actually, I earned less than $10,000.00 in
2010.
I kindly read the federal code mentioned above to the lady I spoke
with at the IRS, reminding her that VA disability money is 100% exempt.
She placed me on hold for another age (I could see a man coming- bearing
water- over the horizon) and then she came back on the line and told
me, “We do not take veterans’ disability money. We wait until the funds
are deposited from the VA and then we take all of the funds from your
bank account.”
Um.
Isn’t this called laundering?
I find it ironic, now, that only weeks before the IRS put this hold
on my bank account, I’d been asked to be a contributing writer for key
Tea Party personality “Joe the Plumber.” I’d been writing freelance
articles on veterans affairs for some time, publishing and distributing
them mostly through Facebook, and I viewed the personal call Joe made to
me as one of the greatest compliments I’d been paid in regard to those
articles. I jumped at the opportunity to join his team and give my work,
such as this piece, a wider audience. I can’t help but think that part
of my decision to join Joe’s team may have played a part in being
singled out by the IRS at this specific time and having my VA disability
money taken from me in complete breach of federal law.
The good news is that through my persistence, and my refusal to
accept their answer, that it is okay to launder VA disability money, I
was able to get the IRS to refund all of the money they’d taken from my
bank. I am working with the IRS to remedy their great misunderstanding
of my earnings for 2010, and I am reaching out to all disabled veterans
to let them know that if this is happening to them, they do have rights,
and they need to stand up for them.
As many veterans know, our war does not stop once we make it home.
Often, new battles begin, such as battles for the rights our government
promised they’d provide for us upon our return from war that they often
turn around and attempt to take away.
Currently in America, twenty two veterans a day are committing
suicide. One of the biggest contributors to the suicide epidemic is our
veterans’ inability to find suitable work after serving and the
inability to take care of themselves and their families financially.
This is why VA disability is sacred- except in the eyes of the IRS. Too
many disabled veterans in the U.S. are just a disability check away from
being on the street and joining the already nearly 70,000 homeless
veterans in America.
If you are a veteran receiving disability from the VA, and you are
having it garnished, withheld, or having a lien placed upon it for any
reason, please contact the entity who is withholding, garnishing, or who
has placed the lien, and reference the federal code stated earlier in
this article. You stood up for the rights of all people of a great
nation in combat, but unfortunately, you must continue to stand up for
yourselves to ensure that the promises of being taken care of upon your
return are kept. But you can do it, because you are a warrior, and
that’s what warriors do.
Editor’s Note: Kevin originally posted his article on Yahoo, but
wanted to get the word out about this to the audience of FreedomOutpost.
Drop him a line on the article located here to let him know what you think.
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