The government has been working at breaking up marriges for a while. We used to get more back on our taxes before we got married.
I worked with a woman who's brother has a "bad back" and recieves disability. He has been with the same woman for many years but won't get married. As long as they are single, she gets a check for taking care of him. If they marry, the checks stop.
In their case I think it's just a scam but that's another story.