A SOCIAL Security beneficiary got a surprising letter in the mail.
The person posted their story on Reddit, alleging they got a notice for a $57,000 overpayment.
“There was no prior notice of overage,” they said.
The user said they were over their SGA for a month in 2020, but they continued to get benefits.
“I spent six hours at my local office. It’s like talking to a brick wall.”
They also said they spent hours on the phone with Social Security and heard different answers.
They previously received disability benefits for their visual impairment.
SUBSTANTIAL GAINFUL ACTIVITY
Substantial gainful activity, or SGA, is when a person earns more than a certain net monthly amount.
To be eligible for disability benefits, a person must be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity, as per SSA.gov.
The Social Security Act specifies a higher SGA amount for blind individuals.
They wanted to know if they could be entitled to benefits again if they didn’t meet the SGA during a given month.
REDDIT RESPONDS
One Redditor wrote a lengthy response providing a possible explanation.
They said the user most likely surpassed their Extended Period of Eligibility when they went over their SGA.
“Even if you went over SGA for only one month it would trigger a termination of your benefits,” they wrote.
The Social Security Administration issued a $57,000 overpayment when they completed a work review that must’ve dated to 2020.
“They discovered you shouldn’t have been paid for any of the months after that month you went over SGA,” they said.
Working and collecting Social Security benefits
Find out how to make the most of your benefits.
If you work part-time and already get Social Security payments, you can lessen the impact of a lower COLA, Yahoo reports.
For greater freedom, think of remote jobs and freelance employment in addition to local alternatives. Just be aware that part of your Social Security payment may become taxable or that the new income may reduce your benefit amount.
On the other hand, you can decide to put off filing for Social Security and keep working if you’re still thinking about doing so.
For instance, instead of applying at age 62, you might wait until you reach the full retirement age of 66 to 67.
Although this has no bearing on COLAs, it will protect you from having your benefits cut if you retire early.
The silver lining they offered was applying for an Expedited Reinstatement (EXR) if the user only went over one month.
EXPEDITED REINSTATEMENT
Social Security’s website says someone can request an EXR if their benefits ended after they worked or had earnings.
While the SSA determines if they can approve benefits again, they provide temporary benefits for up to six months.
Eligible candidates include SSI or SSDI beneficiaries who:
- Stopped getting benefits due to work/earnings
- Can’t work or perform to achieve substantial gainful activity
- Are disabled due to impairment(s) related to impairment(s) that qualified them for benefits earlier
- Submit a request within five years from the month their benefit ended
Social Security beneficiaries with further questions can visit their local office or call toll-free at 1-800-772-1213.
MORE SOCIAL SECURITY
Another Social Security beneficiary said they received a $2,000 overpayment notice after they were laid off.
The person said they were a teacher in the state of Washington.
They were mailed a letter from the Educational Service District (ESD) which said they owed $2,000.
The ESD also wanted to know more about the former teacher’s previous employer.
The teacher was left confused since the ESD determined their weekly earnings in the first place.
One person said they owe $8,000 to Social Security and can’t hold down a job.
Meanwhile, read the April payment schedule for COLA Social Security.