Lose your mind, lose your stimulus

“4 yrs ago I suffered a total mental breakdown after being battered by my employer for calling the police on an MD who raped some of his patients. My bosses had wanted to handle the whole thing internally-but that would have meant the MD would have gotten off. My actions helped save future patients from being “examined” by this predator. I filed a suit against my employer and was given a very small settlement. The IRS determined that since I only had a mental breakdown as a result of year long battery by my employer, my settlement was considered taxable income. They don’t tax “physical injuries”, but they do tax “psychological” ones. So they took my stimulus check to pay back taxes. That seems fair–I only lost my mind while helping to bring down a predator. I’ll bet he got to keep his stimulus.”

Chaz, 40, Health Care
Northern, California