A RETIREE received a notice from the Social Security Administration requesting a payment of $72,000 despite it not being her fault.
As a result, Jean Rodriguez from Virginia Beach, Virginia had her retirement checks withheld for two years.
The 73-year-old started receiving benefits in 2014 and by 2018 she and her husband Glenn were requested to visit their local SSA office to discuss an issue.
“He says we have a small problem,” the former school cafeteria worker told CBS News’ 60 Minutes.
The couple were informed that the agency had overpaid their benefits by $72,000.
“We were both devastated,” Rodriguez said, adding that it was not a “small problem.”
“Somewhere along the line, they made a combination of four other people in addition to my numbers.”
Getting an overpayment notice can be unsettling.
Social Security Administration
The administration mistakenly gave Rodriguez benefits based on the salaries of four other people combined with her own.
“I don’t know how they did it,” she said.
Rodriguez explained that the SSA admitted the overpayment was their fault but that the couple had to pay it back anyway because they could afford it.
The couple own their own home and Glenn receives a pension from the Navy so it was deemed that the SSA would withhold Rodriguez’s checks until the debt was paid.
“If it was something I knew I did totally wrong, they have the right to come after me,” Rodriguez said.
“But I didn’t know how they calculated it and then they waited four years to figure it out.”
When their story was shared on TikTok, users commented their thoughts.
“What the hell is going on at the Social Security office?” one user asked.
” They are making so many mistakes shouldn’t somebody [be] looking into that?”
“That sounds it’s like their problem. It was their mistake!” another added.
“How horrible for these folks.”
Meanwhile, others questioned how the couple could miss the overpayments.
The U.S. Sun has previously reached out to the SSA for comment on similar stories and has been informed that the administration does not comment on specific cases due to privacy concerns.
However, it has sent the following statement in response to our previous inquiries:
“Getting an overpayment notice can be unsettling and we work with people to navigate the process.
What to do if you’re accused of receiving overpayments and why does it happen?
There’s no statute of limitations on how long Social Security can wait to collect an overpayment, therefore it is key to know why they happen and what to do.
What causes an overpayment?
- The SSA incorrectly sends additional benefits you are not entitled to due to incorrect or incomplete information
- Your income is more than you estimated
- Changes to your living situation
- Changes in marital status
- You receive more resources than allowed
- You are no longer disabled but continue to receive benefits
- Changes are not reported to the SSA on time or at all
What should you do if accused of an overpayment?
- Inform the SSA if you were a minor child receiving Foster Care benefits, and the state was your representative payee when you were overpaid.
- Request a reconsideration if you believe you were not overpaid or the amount is incorrect.
- Appeal within 60 days from the date of the overpayment notice.
- If you feel that the overpayment was not your fault and you cannot afford repayments, request a waiver of the overpayment and complete form SSA 632.
“We inform people about the fact and amount of the overpayment, their right to appeal, and the options to repay or, in some cases, have the debt waived.
“People have the right to appeal the overpayment decision or the amount.
“They can also ask Social Security to waive collection of the overpayment if they believe it was not their fault and can’t afford to pay it back.”
“We do not pursue recoveries while an initial appeal or waiver is pending,” The SSA continued.
“We examine each waiver request to determine, among other factors, if the person caused the debt and their ability to repay.
“Even if they do not want to appeal or request a waiver, the notice says to contact us if the planned withholding would cause hardship.
“We have flexible repayment options—including repayment of as low as $10 per month.
“Each person’s situation is unique, and we handle overpayments on a case-by-case basis.
“To address this problem more systematically, in October 2023, SSA launched a comprehensive review of our overpayment policies and procedures.
“For example, as we announced last month, we are working to reduce wage-related improper payments by using our legal authority to establish information exchanges with payroll data providers that we expect will significantly reduce the number of improper payments once implemented.”