Issues with PA Rent Rebate

Post Reply New Topic

I first applied for the rebate in February of this year, when the forms became available online. In June, I receive a letter from the Bureau of Individual Taxes within Revenue asking for further information. I called Revenue's call center to get clarification. They are needing a copy of my lease. Since I don't have a formal lease agreement, (I rent a room in a townhouse with 3 other men), I asked my landlord for a notarized statement, as per the call center's instructions. The landlord also filled out a schedule F listing the names and amounts of rent paid each month by each individual renting a room in this townhouse. In addition, the landlord includes all utilities in the rent, including cable TV and Internet access (both provided through Comcast). I sent this information back to Revenue within the 30 day time frame requested.

At the beginning of July, I receive another letter from Bureau of Individual Taxes, again asking for additional information. I call in to Revenue's call center again, and this time, I'm told my application will be rejected, as I do not live in a self-contained apartment owned by the landlord. I explained to the representative that in my previous call to the call center, my current arrangement with my living quarters was satisfactory to them. This representative states they will be sending me additional forms to fill out by myself and the landlord before the end of July.

Since I have not heard anything from Revenue by 31 July, I check the status of my rent rebate on Revenue's web page. This is how I found out the application was rejected. I have nor received any further communication from Revenue.

I have contacted the PA Disability Rights Network via email. The only response I received was we're not sure if we are able to help, but we'll start a file on you anyway. Is there any other recourse I can take to appeal Revenue's denial of my claim? I could use that money, since the wiring underneath the dashboard of my car, a 1995 Saturn SL 1, caught fire, and is barely driveable, as I could use those funds for putting a down payment on another car.

You need to get in touch with your state Senator and explain the problem and get his or her help. I just had a look at the form and nursing and boarding residences are included, so it sounds like the intent was to include single-room residences. You are obviously the demographic intended for the rebate and you rent a room because you cannot live on your own in an apartment, either because you don't make enough money or you can't live that independently. The people at Revenue are just poorly educated and haven't seen a room rental before and don't know what to do. Have the Senator make inquiries with the head of the program.

I just heard Back from the PA Disability Rights Network. They do not handle issues like this. Short of hiring an attorney, I'm screwed. An attorney will cost me more than the benefit check. Just goes to prove to me again, I HAVE NO RIGHTS!! !! !! !! !

Like I said, contact your state senator.

if all else fails, tell the media. Newspapers/TV news.

Waste of time unless there's a reporter interested specifically in disability issues. The story here is a technical one -- "disabled guy doesn't get rent rebate because he rents a room rather than a whole apartment" -- and that's not an exciting story.

A disability advocate should be able to help Meistersinger go to the state rep/senator and explain the problem, help the rep find the appropriate state administrator to talk to, and get it ironed out. This is an administrative issue that hurts Meistersinger because every dollar counts as far as he's concerned, but it's a minor administrative issue and definitions question as far as the Dept of Elder Affairs is concerned. My guess is disabled are included in this program in the first place because there's probably funding or some kind of incentive from SSA, which lumps disabled and elderly together.

Some TV news have segments devoted to people who got screwed over. It's fairly common in Canada.

And there's where the problem lies. PA Disability Rights Network pretty much shut me down when I asked for help. I just get the feeling that the only people they want to help are the physically and intellectually disabled, while we higher functioning autistics and mentally Ill are left to hang and twist in the breeze. Even before I was declared mentally incompetent, the prevailing attitude I've always been exposed to is everybody else has rights except for me. I'm not allowed to have the same rights as everybody else, since the majority of people I come in contact think I'm a moron. Most people tell me I'm a moron, and morons do not have rights.

Good. Did you call your state senator's office? Or go there?

I made a personal visit this afternoon to my state senator's office. His aide even had problems getting any information from revenue. It took her 3 calls to find out what form I needed to fill out to appeal Revenue's decision. She told me she will personally hand deliver the appeal papers to Revenue.

Frankly, I'm not holding out much hope. Since I am renting a room in a private dwelling, and barely being able to take care of myself, and not living in a self-contained apartment, a boarding house, or a nursing home, Revenue will automatically reject applications like mine. Again, I've been told I have no rights.

Be a bit persistent. Executive departments are generally quite polite to legislators, because ain't no money if the legislators don't like you. That was a good response you got at the office, btw, so the message got through clearly.

If the answer comes back no, bring the Disability advocates in, because they need to draft an amendment to whatever document establishes the program in Revenue. The likelihood is that in the original drafting stage, nobody thought of people in your situation (remember, this was really aimed at elderly populations). You will get there, though.

Problem is, Disabilty Rights Network has already told me they will not be able to help. I was told by Disability Rights to hire a tax attorney to collect my $650.00. The cost of the attorney would be more than the 650.00 I am supposedly due. Either way, I lose.

I think you're being hasty and not recognizing that you made a powerful friend today.

DRN will not prosecute your case for you, no. But if the word comes back from Revenue that noway, nohow will you get that money under the current program (which might happen, but I can also see it working out), then it's within the DRN's bailiwick to work with the state senator, consult with him, to amend the language to serve people like you. In that case, probably the best thing to do would be to have the aide call the head of DRN, or their legislative liaison, and let them work things out while keeping you in the loop. If they have to amend the language, that'd mean no money this year, but money in subsequent years.

Like I said, the problem was likely that nobody drafting the legal language establishing the program thought about people like you, who are disabled, not in a group home, and not able to rent an entire apartment -- but a room does fine. If they get hung up somewhere, it'll likely be on the question of: If a disabled adult is staying in his parent's house and the parent is charging rent, does this program apply? Because they won't want to give a disabled person's parent rent money. But that's easily taken care of in an amendment.

It's rather like reporting a crime, nothing happening to YOUR satisfaction immediately--but if many others report the same crime done by the same criminal, a case is then gradually built up, using the "strength of the many."

Do you know what I mean?

That may be well and good, but I have a pressing need for that rent rebate: I need it as a down payment on another car. My current vehicle is not much longer for this world. At 241k miles, I'm putting anywhere between 1 and 3 quarts of oil in it per day, the transmission is slipping, and the insulation on the wiring harness has melted away underneath the dashboard. Before you say, why don't you ask your brothers to help, remember, these are the same brothers that told me to rot in hell if I committed suicide, and they would also would hand me the tools to do the deed. I did ask them 2 weeks ago, to cosign on a loan, and I was told to go fsck myself. My youngest brother got burned by a friend of his for a loan he consigned, as well as getting his hours cut at work. #2 brother consigned his daughter's and step-daughter's student loans. When I told he was crazy for doing that (Dad told me flat out when I went to college, that he refuses to sign his name to anything regarding the financing of my higher education, since education was a waste of time and money), he comes back that was the agreement he made with both girls, especially if they met or exceeded certain academic goals. Both girls graduated manga cum laude from their respective schools, so he has to keep his promise. That, and his wife being fired from her job as VP of Personnel, cut into his finances. #3 brother told me if I even come within 500 feet of his house, he will have me arrested and prosecuted for vagrancy, trespassing, and grand theft. He feels like, in another thread, if you are mentally ill, you deserve to rot in jail for the rest of your unnatural life.

I don't dare ask any of my relatives for help, as it will get back to my brothers and I'll be catching all sorts of hell again.

And you wonder why I have such a poor sense of self-worth about me and my environment? When you're told most of your life that you aren't worth sh*t, even with advanced academic degrees that I had to earn the hard way, you'd be a sourpuss also.

If you're willing to say what county you're in, I can see if I can find any other form of help for you. PM me if you like. Also, are you working? The car's your only way to get to work?