Professional Poker Affect Va And Ssdi Benefits?

[rosypalm]

Greetings Vets,

Well I'm a happy man Im 100 percent p and t and I also have SSDI. My question is now that I have been playing poker and don't want my benefits to be affected. Poker is therapy for me and gives me purpose . I read an article that Billy Baxtor professional poker player went to a high court and made Poker "earned income" to IRS. If that is so will the VA and SSA consider playing poker a job? Please help I dont want to quit on my dream of playing poker ,but I dont want to lose the source of income I have which is Va compensation and ssdi benefits.

[broncovet]

Rosy

Getting an answer on this will be tough, for 2 reasons. First, if anyone has done what you are referring to, they probably are keeping their mouth shut. For the rest of us who have not done it, we can only venture a guess. Here is my 2 cents worth:

I think there is very little chance you will loose your benefits exclusively due to income from gambling. However, you could loose your benies with this issue in combination with other issues. One example would be if the VA called you for a re exam, and you were in Vegas playing poker and did not know it, then you could miss your appointment and your rating would likely be reduced.

Another possible example would be if you discontinued your mental health exams because you felt better from gambling. I think if you did not continue with your treatment you could be at risk for a rating reduction.

If you are older than 55, especially with your P and T status, the Va is going to have a hard time reducing your benefits, especially if you follow the procedures. You know..if they send you a 60 day notice of proposed rating reduction, then you had better give them some good reasons why your rating should not be reduced, or they will reduce it.

I have read quite a bit of discussion on ratings/rating reductions and working. Remember that schedular ratings totaling 100% still enable to you obtain or keep employment. Max Cleland, Tammy Duckworth, and John Mc Cain are high profile disabled Vets collecting their benefits and working. Its a totally different story, however, if you are collecting TDIU, because you have to certify every year that you are not working to collect TDIU.

I also think there is some discrimination going on against Veterans with a mental illness. You see, those 3 above named people all have disabilities that are pretty obvious and visible. Mental illnesses are not nearly as visible..the Va does not require you to wear a Tshirt saying "I have a mental illness rated as 100% by the VA". Of course, if you had 2 legs blown off like Tammy Duckworth, it is pretty obvious. You see, if Tammy Duckworth overcomes her disability and is able to work from her wheel chair, she is a hero. However, if a Veteran with a mental illness was able to overcome his disability and still work full time, then he would be thought to be a "malingerer" (faker). I do not agree, nor do I subscribe to this discrimination to the mentally ill. I cant see how it is somehow good to overcome the disability of missing legs, but somehow evil to overcome ones mental problems and become productive. A big part of this is that people beleive what they can see and doubt what they cant....even tho things we cant see can be very, very real. We can not see the nucleas of an atom, but that does not mean a nuclear weapon will not harm us. This is just my 2 cents worth.

[SLEDGE]

rosy,

I think you are inviting trouble by making any more than the poverty level outside of your disability benefits.

You seem to be bound and determined to create a problem that you know some VA jerk will not like.

The law be hanged dude.

The VA jerks will do anything to anybody for their own reasons and you could lose your income for 10 or 12 years fighting to get it back.

I'm curious,

why are you doing this under your own name?

Unless they put cameras in your house, how do the powers know who is making the money?

sledge.

[Commander Bob]

If you are issued a form #1099 for your winnings, the VA will find out about it. If it is too much money, you could lose your IU.

[Commander Bob]

If under 10K in a single sitting your ok. If you play on line and win a large amount you will have some difficulty now a days. Several years ago when you had to open an off shore account to play on line poker, I won 27K. I kept every bit by pulling small amounts at a time. I don't know if that will still work. But, as I said if you are winning small amounts you're ok.

JMO,

Bergie

Very intriguing, Bergie. Sounds like a James Bond movie.

[USMC_HVEQ]

If you are issued a form #1099 for your winnings, the VA will find out about it. If it is too much money, you could lose your IU.

Rosy,

unless you are getting 1099G's you are fine. Worst case, you lose you 100% TDIU rating, but you would be makign way more than they pay for 100%. I know of a few 100% vets that play poker daily. One is in a wheelchair and even works as a VA rep. He sports an 07 Escalade so money can be made in poker. The key is are you continuing to get treatment? Is your therapist aware of gambling has been therapudic? Just continue to receive treatment, make it to appointments and not withdraw more than 9,999 on Full tilt and you will be fine. If you make it on WPT, that would be amazing. The issue, seems to be IU vs just schedular %. Don't sweat it

[windy city]

Not to sound rude how can you claim to be paranoid but not be paranoid to play poker. I don't care what you do with your life or your money but if you can play poker it sounds to me that you are not really sick. Its a shame that thousand of veterans have to battle and struggle with the VA and Social Security to get there benefits and to keep them and here you are risking your benefits. I FOR ONE DO NOT FIND YOUR TOPIC TASTEFUL AND MY HEART GOES OUT TO VETERANS THAT ARE HOMELESS AND LIVING IN POVERTY THAT WISH THEY HAD THE BENEFITS YOU ARE GETTING. I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK AND HOPE THAT YOU DON'T GET CAUGHT.

paranoid schizophrenia.