Family Says They Cannot Get Deceased Husband’s Stimulus Check Due To Overwhelmed IRS Call Centers

CAROL STREAM, Ill. (CBS) — It’s a pugnacious battle, but a Carol Stream household is taking connected the IRS. What’s adjacent harder is they can’t adjacent get the feds to prime up the phone.

CBS 2’s Marie Saavedra explains they are not the lone ones. Hundreds of calls are going unanswered.

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“If I didn’t person Kelly, I truly don’t cognize what I would do,” said Florence Cook.

Cook is warring laryngitis, truthful her daughter, Kelly Sheridan, shared the communicative of her ma versus the IRS. It starts with Cook’s hubby Ron, who they mislaid past fall. Before his passing helium was owed a stimulus check.

“The lone mode to footwear that escaped would beryllium to record the income taxation statements, truthful we did that,” said Sheridan.

Then successful May, Cook got a missive from the IRS asking her to spell online and verify her individuality successful 1 of 4 ways — including a mobile telephone number.

“At that point, the verification process online crushed to a halt due to the fact that my ma doesn’t person a compartment phone,” Sheridan said.

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The missive said successful that case, they should telephone the fig (800) 830-5084 — which they did.

“We tried calling archetypal happening successful the morning, late, aboriginal astatine nighttime during their posted hours, successful between, thing worked,” Sheridan said.

Every time, the enactment got cut. They are astatine a nonaccomplishment with what to bash adjacent and cognize they can’t beryllium the lone ones.

“There’s got to beryllium a batch of different seniors oregon different radical who conscionable don’t person a compartment phone,” said Sheridan.

CBS 2 brought their contented straight to the IRS and did get a response, which is adjacent uncommon for us. A spokesperson blamed a decennary of decreasing budgets, saying they’re presently hiring unit for telephone centers and admitted determination aren’t capable radical to antheral the phones. The IRS website says it’s received implicit 145 cardinal calls this year, 4 times much than average. The occupation is there’s not different option.

“There’s got to beryllium different ways,” Sheridan said. “Could you station a message code oregon a fax fig oregon something? I cognize different agencies person done that and been precise responsive, truthful I’m not definite wherefore the IRS can’t bash the same.”

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In the meantime, they volition support calling to get their hubby and father’s property the wealth it is rightfully owed.