I Need A Human Please !!

A file crossed my desk. Someone caught in the crossfire of a Social Security Overpayment. An over payment is when for one reason or another Social Security pays the person too much and then the poor soul is slapped with an “overpayment' A MUST payback situation. A person usually does not know they are receiving too much money from Social Security until a couple of months after the over payment happens. An over payment can happen when you get a job ( even if part-time)and do not tell SS or you might inherit some dough or your room mate moves out or what ever and WHAM you are socked and usually socked hard.

Years ago when I was on SSI I got whacked a couple of times—SS usually works something out with you so you can “survive” the hammer. I remember once I got like a 1000 or more over payment. I had to pay the money back 50.00 a month for what seems like eternity. Stilk when you are trying to live on SSI you cannot afford to give anything up let alone $50.00 a month for what seems for ever.

The file I got today has an extra twist on the theme. It seems that this couple never did get an over payment what seems is the was a computer error and assigned this couple an overpayment. This couple was great they did everything right, saved every bit of mail rgarding this issues, called their SSI rp immediately, who incidently, indivcate” don't worry everythings is going to be all right. Then the next month another over payment statenment with a different figure. The couple began to get concerned when into the sixth month nothing happened and now it looked like they had an over payment of $59,000.00 and their SSI began avoiding them, not taking their calls and just becoming invisible. Last month the couple got their payback schedule $24.00 a month scheduled to be paid in full by 2044!!! This last statement pushed the couple over the edge and motivated them write a letter and send copies of this nightmare to my office. Actually the materials were not addressed to me per se the material were sent to the Governor's Office for People with Disabilities who in turn passes anything like this on to me or my partner. There is nothing official we can do—we are not advocates as these folks think that we are, This issue becomes even more crazy when you add in the factor that they live in a most rural part of the State. They did not include a phone number where I can reach them . I have some ideas I want to try tomorrow and see if I get hold of them and maybe help them out. Hopefully this will work itself out as a monstrous computer error, hopefully this will be the case. I would not be surprised if it did not and these good folks accepted the burden and were forced to do the repayment for the rest of their natural lives.