Dear To Her Credit,
I worked and lived in Oregon. I was fired last June. I collect Oregon unemployment and Social Security benefits. Can either be garnished for credit card and hospital bills? -- Jane

Dear Jane,
The short answer is "no." Most creditors cannot garnish either unemployment or Social Security benefits. Even if they could, by the time you take an exemption for basic living expenses from your benefits, there likely wouldn't be anything left for them to take.

No one can directly garnish your Social Security check. However, in the past, once that money was in your bank account, it was up to you to prove which funds came from where and to prevent your benefits from being taken or try to get them back. Read more at CreditCards.com.