82-year-old carer horrified after she's denied lottery win over benefits claim
An 82-year-old woman has described her hellish ordeal after she was DENIED her lottery winnings due to a little-known law over her benefits claim.
Hilde McMillen, who is a carer for her disabled son, had no idea she allegedly owed cash to the state when she scooped a much-needed jackpot.
The Florida law prevents them from collecting their prize money if they owe the state's unemployment office any money.
Horrified Hilde, who won $1,000, was shocked to hear she wasn't allowed to collect the much-needed prize - as she was allegedly overpaid in unemployment benefits.
Hilde McMillen told WFTS, after seeing the story on television: "I said, 'Well that's me! That actually happened to me!'
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"I worked at the Double Tree [hotel], and my day, every day, is to get up early," said Ms McMillen, 82. She collected unemployment at the beginning of the Covid pandemic when the hotel shut its doors, but was later told in a letter she had been overpaid by around $200.
Hilde McMillen, 82, says her lottery winnings were 'held hostage' due to an apparent overpayment in unemployment benefits from the Covid pandemic (ABC Action News WFTS)She explained: "My daughter-in-law helped me, and we sent it in right away. And that was the end, I never heard nothing no more until I won my fortune here."
"Oh my God, I was excited! At that time, yeah I needed the money."
But her ordeal had just started.
"They told me they're not going to pay me. Because I had an overpayment on my unemployment. I say I can't believe that, I say, I paid that already," added Hilde.
Ms McMillen went on to say it "took almost three hours to get [the DEO] and the lady was very nice, but she couldn't help us with nothing.
"They held me hostage from my own money. My $1,000 was sitting at the unemployment office and nobody did anything."
Ms McMillen had won $1,000 on the lottery (ABC Action News WFTS)After hearing of others in a similar situation, Mc McMillen filled out a form to try and remedy the situation and get her hands on her winnings. She said: "Two days later, the unemployment office called me and said, we're going to send you your money.
"And then two days later, they called me again and told me when I'm going to get it."
Of the people who contacted WFTS, most of them apparently had no idea they even owed money to begin with. The outlet obtained public records from the Florida Lottery which showed that between January 1, 2022, and January 31, 2023, a total of 9,804 winners received a "potential outstanding owed debt alert".
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"Something that was so exciting became an absolute nightmare," said Sara Magnetta. "I felt like this could hit home for a lot of people."
More than 7,400, or three-quarters, of those debt alerts, were reportedly from the DEO. Ms McMillen had received a letter from the DEO over the summer saying: "You were without fault in creating this overpayment and the department has determined that recovery would be contrary to equity and good conscience."
Ms McMillen said she is also getting back the $200 she had already paid the DEO. She said: "So in other words, I didn't owe them nothing."
The DEO said in a statement that overpayment procedures are in place to mitigate fraud, but that the department realises that "just because an overpayment is flagged in an account, it does not mean that an overpayment has occurred".
Dozens of lottery winners who did not get the cash have now been able to claim their winnings.
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