Your Credit Report

I got a section 8 voucher therefore I’ve been trying to move. We now have these things called Tax Credit Properties. They’re still for poor people but they’re nicer/newer & have washer & dryer connections. They’re mostly for single working parents & also take some section 8 vouchers. So now rather then tell people to print a list & look for housing I just say go straight to any Tax Credit Properties.

Well my ex’s cousin…an apartment locater…told me to go get my credit report here: http://freecreditreport.com. Yeah…it says free don’t it? Well it’s not. The credit report is free but they also sign you up for their reporting service @ $14/15 a month. If you don’t want it you have to cancel in so many days or they’ll charge your card. I don’t know how many charges they got me for before I even realized this was happening. They should be reported.

Anyway I got my credit report & there’s 4 bogus charges on here. One was from an apartment complex in Tulsa that thought just because I moved off to TX they could screw me over. They tried to get me for $65 when they owed me $20. No matter how many times I sent a receipt they couldn’t figure out the math. So they forwarded this on to collection. I forwarded my receipt on to collection & this was supposed to be taken off but it never was. So I’ve just complained to all 3 credit reporting agencies & got it taken off.

Another one was the same charge twice…once from the credit card company & once from a collection agency. I got the collection agency…which was way more for some reason…taken off. You can’t report the same problem twice.

I’m still working on the other two bogus charges. The point I’m trying to make is keep an eye on your credit report. Don’t trust these companies or their clerks to do the right thing. And if you’re having issues…you can make a note on your credit report so anybody checking it might understand.

I’m not sure how you talk to Experian…I’ve been doing it via the net. But I have the other 2 credit reporting agencies addresses:

Equifax Information Services LLC
PO Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374-0256

TransUnion Customer Relations
PO Box 1000
Chester, PA 19016-1000

Community Action Project

http://www.captc.org

Salvation Army

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn.nsf

918-582-7201

Goodwill

http://www.goodwill.org/page/guest/about

Credit Counseling Serv, BA

918-258-6545

M-F 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Credit Counseling of OK

http://www.cccsofok.org

918-744-5611

M-Th 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.

F 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

S 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Help With Bills

When we talk about bills we talk about electric, gas & water. Maybe sewer & trash if you’re lucky. But I believe phone & cable & such…all those are “extras”. Also the gov’t won’t help with things like mechanical work, tires, DL renewals/car titles/tags/etc.

When my kid was little there wasn’t help with bills that I know of so it took most of the child support check to pay them. I think once a year you might’ve gotten help so I saved it up for the worst times with the largest bills.

This program is still around. Plus I think some places have monthly utility allowances where you get a check to help pay your bills.

Otherwise there’s some places like neighbor for neighbor or the salvation army that can help pay bills…if you want to wait for the special day when they see people, stand in line all day, & provide much evidence of this bill you’re requesting help paying. I think they might pay only one bill & I think they only help you once a year?

The Social Security Admin

Damn I’m grateful for Wikipedia. I explain so much stuff this way. I don’t have to tell you the history of the SSA because that’s already done for me here. Now let me tell ya my way.

What the hell’s the SSA? It’s where you go to get your social security card, file for disability or file for retirement. The day you start working, using your social security card to get the job, is the day you start paying taxes & they deduct money for things like social security. So be sure to check your records & make sure employers are reporting you because if they don’t that’s hours & wages not reported which might cost you in the end.

You see should you become disabled or retire your SSA check depends on the jobs you had, hours you worked & money you made. Threw the years you collect “credits” which are used to determine what you get should you become disabled or retire. So if people aren’t reporting you or you’re working for cash you’re missing out on these credits therefore won’t get much of anything.

When it comes to disability there’s 2 kinds…SSI & SSDI. SSI is more like welfare…you only get Medicaid. If you have no work history or not many credits this is what you’ll get. SSDI is more like retirement…you get Medicare & Medicaid. If you have enough credits this is what you’ll get. Not that Medicare is much better then Medicaid. In fact if you want dental or vision that’s another plan & extra.

If you have kids be sure to report this when filing for disability. When you win you can apply on their behalf too. When you win remind them you have kids. One lady didn’t realize this & went a year or two before I let her know then filed on behalf of her kids. The reason she got the money was because she did tell them when she filed she had them.

I’m going to recommend these atty’s: http://socialsecuritydisabilitysite.com & I’ll tell you why. I had to file one request to reconsider & won therefore they wouldn’t have charged me a dime. If they would’ve had to keep fighting then they would’ve charged me but no.

Being elderly rather then disabled doesn’t change the fact that Medicare doesn’t include dental or vision. So if you’re a young person reading this invest your money. Be sure you have a retirement account. Be sure you have the money to pay for the plan that cost extra.

They say the SSA won’t be around by the time my kid gets ready to retire. I wouldn’t doubt it. Even if it does stick around they make the retirement age so high you’ll never see it & if you do you’ll be too feeble to enjoy it. I’m simply suggesting you have an alternate plan if at all possible.

If you need a good disability atty I recommend Boettcher, Boettcher & Lobaugh out of Ponca City. 866-763-0786. http://socialsecuritydisabilitysite.com.

The reason being if you win off the bat they won’t charge you anything at all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_…Administration
http://www.disabilityinfo.gov
http://www.disabilitysecrets.com
http://www.ssa.gov

918-641-2400

DHS

Every town/city/state has a DHS (Dept. of Human Services). If you know of a child or an elderly person being abused/neglected these are the people to contact. Child Protective Services for children…Adult Protective Services for adults. But this isn’t their only service.

TANF & Food Stamps: 918-294-2000

Child Welfare Line: M-F 7:30 to 5 – 918-581-2033
24-hour Crisis Line: 918-584-1222

If you have no income or child support they may help financially. They help w/ daycare so a single parent can work. They help w/ food stamps. They also help w/ Medical care…especially for children.

Then there’s the Child Support Enforcement Agency…yet another service of the DHS dept. If you have a dead-beat parent’s social/address/phone number they can locate them & force them to pay child support even if it means garnishing wages.

2-1-1

http://www.211tulsa.org
http://www.211oklahoma.org

918-836-4357

These folks have phone numbers &/or links to most of the social services in Tulsa/OK.