A SOCIAL Security beneficiary was in disbelief after being charged a $22,000 overpayment.
The user shared their experience on a thread called r/SocialSecurity on Reddit.
They alleged Social Security requested back pay on their disability benefits.
“It’s a small update but, a bit overwhelming for me nonetheless,” the user wrote.
They said they became disabled in the late summer of 2021, but Social Security determined their disability started in January of 2023.
The user explained they have Lupus and Lupus Nephritis which affect the kidneys.
I already have a complete loss of control over my body and this is just the cherry on top.
@captnfirepants
DEBT DASH
They wrote that they hadn’t been working a job since the diagnosis.
“I can barely shower most days,” they said and claimed they were approved in four and a half months.
Their sister-in-law referred them to a lawyer who represented them pro bono.
They felt a great weight lifted off their shoulders after receiving aid for the massive debt.
Once they could resolve their payment, they called the Social Security Administration to confirm it was officially sorted.
They thanked the representative and told him it was the “first time” they’d liked their government.
The user said they lived an athletic lifestyle before their medical condition and still felt “shell-shocked” at their life now.
“I already have a complete loss of control over my body and this is just the cherry on top.”
REDDIT REACTS
Many Redditors flooded the thread’s comment section to ask the user for more details about the situation.
Accessing Social Security benefit forms
How to access the forms you need for Social Security benefits:
Any forms that you may need to access, such as a Social Security card application, a child disability report, or a voluntary withholding request, are available on SSA.gov.
All of the forms are completely free.
You can call 1-800-772-1213 or contact your local Social Security office if you can’t find the form you need or if you need assistance completing one.
You should send or deliver a paper form to your local Social Security office or the office that requested it if you downloaded, printed, and completed one.
The user revealed their onset date was amended, and their lawyer was in the final steps of appealing the overpayment.
Onset dates are the first date a claimant meets eligibility for disability or statutory blindness status, according to SSA.gov.
The user said they had extensive medical records with documentation going back to 2019.
They also expressed how difficult it had been to give up their previous career as a masseuse.
They told another Redditor they wished they didn’t have to depend on Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
MORE SOCIAL SECURITY
Another Social Security beneficiary shared their overpayment dilemma on Reddit.
The user was grappling with a $57,000 overpayment and said they got no notice in advance of the overage.
They said they got different answers after spending hours on the phone with Social Security representatives.
One person with Social Security benefits racked up $100,000 in overpayments over 10 years.
Meanwhile, a parent discovered their son owed $66,000 to Social Security from payments during his childhood.