The Social Security Administration is one of the most respected and liked government agencies in the US. This is because they are the ones that distribute benefits to those who cannot work because either age or disability and protect them from homelessness, but that does not mean that the agency does not make mistakes, and in this case, a mistake may have caused 73-year-old a woman to lose her home.
Like every other agency or company, or person ever, the Social Security Administration makes mistakes. In fact, considering how many benefits they distribute and the different types and requirements, they do not do such a bad job, but it is still challenging and a lot of money falls through the cracks. According to a report by the Office of the Inspector General, between 2015 and 2022, the Social Security Administration made nearly $72 billion in incorrect payments, most of them overpayments.
While this should not be as big a deal as it is, after all it is a mistake on the part of the agency, the collection methods are downright inhumane and have been for years.
The impact of overpayment mistakes by the Social Security Administration
When some hear the news that a woman was overpaid by $88,000, their first reaction is anger. After all, she must have gamed the system somehow to get that much money in benefits that did not correspond to her. But the reality is much simpler and yet complicated at the same time. When someone applies for benefits, they do so in good faith and present documents that accredit their needs and entitlements. Once reviewed the Social Security Administration allocates a payment and beneficiaries just return to their lives believing that everything is fine and that the agency has not made a mistake.
In this particular case, the woman in question received benefits that the Social Security Administration is now, years later, saying that she is not entitled to because of her late husband. Apparently, the calculations were done incorrectly as he also received a pension, which, until the repeal of the WEP and the GOP meant a hefty reduction in benefits.
Despite sending in the correct paperwork, the woman ran into an issue years after her benefits started and she recounted her story in an AskTerry blog post, where she asked for help. Her story began with a letter from the Social Security Administration letting her know that according to new calculations, she had collected benefits to which she was not entitled. She explained that “I spent days gathering all the necessary documentation, I did all the paperwork, and they never told me anything was wrong.”
After receiving the letter, she went through the usual process and made an appeal, hoping to get the situation resolved without having to pay the benefits back or getting some leniency that would allow her to survive, but the Social Security Administration was not just slow to answer, but they basically ran out the clock and began to threaten her if she did not gie back the benefits she was not deemed entitled to.
The woman’s circumstances have now become dire. Following a heart attack and undergoing triple bypass surgery, her ability to manage sudden financial burdens has been drastically reduced, and, compounding her difficulties, pandemic-era closures of Social Security offices left individuals like her with few avenues for assistance or clarification. “They’re threatening me,” she pleaded. “I don’t want to lose my home!”
Sadly, her story reflects a broader pattern. Thousands across the country have received abrupt repayment demands from the Social Security Administration, often with little explanation and no consideration for the hardship caused. Many of these notices stem from bureaucratic mistakes, yet their impact is all too real and victims are left with no recourse form the same agency that was supposed to help and protect them.