I was receiving survivors benefits. And 1 day I went to the store and suddenly found $10000 more in my account. I was totally shot by this and didn’t know where it came from. And then realized over a. of a few weeks. It had been so security.
However this was during covid and I had no Is way to ask any questions. I received a letter afterwards saying that I was owed. This money for my survivors benefit through social security and I accepted their word for it. Within a year I received a letter stating that I had Received an overpayment they were asking for twelve thousand dollars back within thirty days.
I was totally dumbfounded. I went to see my local congressman but he basically did nothing. I had to call several lines dealing with social security in New York. And every lawyer I talked with turn me down. They said basically repeated if you had an overpayment, it’s your responsibility to pay it back even if it’s a hundred dollars a month. My state representative Brian Fitzpatrick was trying to help me and I did submit some information to the local social security office in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania.
But they were of no help. I was told in my letter that I received that during certain dates between March and the following September. I was not responsible because COVID had closed their offices down at Social Security.. I stood on this principle but they did not allow it and they ignored it
however right before the holidays after waiting almost 8 months. I got a phone call from Social Security and that was it. They left a message. I tried to return the call and I was unable to I called social security the next day and I got a very nasty woman who just said this person has been trying to call you and you’ve not returned the calls and I said. Well, when was that right before christmas, perfect timing!
A WORKER from social security claimed that they had called several times and that was a lie. Because I have a phone that obviously takes messages. And there were none except this one message. I had just lost my brother on top of it. And I was devastated.
I called Social Security back right away, trying to find out who had called me. And I had that very nasty woman telling me that I had an overpayment and that was the end of the story. (I had requested a hearing but I never received one as well). And that I should just forget about it and pay the money. Having had no help from the State Rep eventually and no acknowledgment of the fact that I had.
this problem during COVID.
According to Social Secrity’s own letter and wasn’t responsible for paying it back and yet they paid no attention to their own letter. I wound up paying it back over 6 months time. Because I had no choice. Luckily I was working full-time and was able to do so. But I was sixty eight at the time. I certainly didn’t produce a waiver because that was not going to help me since I had earnings
I was making a living and therefore they saw me as a prime candidate to get their money back.
Why are we responsible for some bureaucrat’s idiotic mistake? I’d love to know that and I agree with you. Terry, this is wrong !wrong !wrong. I was lucky I was still working but if I was on a fixed income. I don’t know what I would have done. I still live in terror of them. Doing this to me again once I go full retirement at seventy. I’ve also never heard of a country that does not have any legal help in these cases
In your 60 Minutes sequence I couldn’t understand That a woman who is head of social security stands in front of congress and tells them they’ve had over a million claw backs in one year and then another nine hundred thousand the next year that is outrageous.
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