A MAN was shocked when the Social Security Administration, SSA, sent him a letter saying he owed $24,000 in overpaid benefits.
The Tennessee resident’s story was shared in a Facebook group for Social Security inquiries.
Mike Cooper, a self-employed single parent, started getting unemployment benefits during the pandemic.
He would get $720 per week in state unemployment benefits.
Cooper also qualified for disability benefits when his health was in bad condition.
He said the funds helped him through a rough financial patch but the helping hand came with a cost.
FUNDS OWED
The SSA sent Cooper a letter in July 2021 saying he owed $24,000 to the state labor department.
The notice said he didn’t provide proper documentation to prove his eligibility for the benefits.
“Everything I received I was eligible for,” Cooper said. “And I have no intention of paying anything back.”
Cooper said he didn’t have the means to pay the money back and showed a qualification letter the SSA sent him in April 2020.
He sent the SSA pictures of his driver’s license and social security card, along with proof of his address and tax documents.
“The conclusion was I did nothing wrong through the tribunal appeal authority,” Cooper said.
The Labor Department told him he waited too long to appeal the state’s first argument from 2020 and owed $24,000.
They said 10% of the overpayment or $2,400 was due immediately, although it’s unclear if Cooper ended up paying it back.
OVERPAYMENT APPEALS
According to the SSA, Social Security beneficiaries who receive overpayment notices can submit a Form SSA-632.
The waiver request for recovery applies to those who think they weren’t at fault for an overpayment or can’t afford it.
Filing Waiver Form SSA-632
Those who cannot afford to pay back the overpayment amounts noted by the SSA or feel they should not have to can file a specific form.
- The form is identified as SSA-632 on the SSA website and can be filled out and submitted at a local office.
- “If you agree that you have been overpaid, but you feel
- you should not have to pay it back because you did not cause the overpayment and you cannot afford to repay it, you should file Form SSA-632,” the SSA notes on its website.
- It also lists multiple repayment options.
- Recipients with additional questions are urged to call 1-800-772-1213.
There’s also Form SSA-561 to request reconsideration from the SSA.
This applies to beneficiaries who disagree they were even overpaid in the first place or believe the amount is incorrect.
Form SSA-634 requests a change in recovery rate for those who agree they were overpaid and want to make a payment plan.
Beneficiaries who get overpayment notices should ask for an appeal within 60 days of receiving the notice, according to the SSA.
MORE SOCIAL SECURITY
One woman said her dad got a letter from Social Security saying he owed $10,000 for an overpayment five years prior.
She said her dad had spent $10,000 on Medicaid and didn’t have receipts from 2019.
The woman said on Facebook that the payment was due on April 8.
She didn’t know what steps to take next and said the SSA even barred her father from his insurance.
The U.S. Sun covers more Social Security stories to keep consumers in the loop.
One man said he was on the brink of homelessness after owing$62,000 to Social Security.
Meanwhile, The U.S. Sun has a payment schedule for April COLA checks.