So, who should you call when Social Security stops your checks because THEY made a mistake? Your local TV station, of course. You certainly can't expect the agency to resolve the issue or tell you what to do.
6 comments:
Anonymous
said...
So, are you saying SSA provided no written notice with appeal rights and information when the action to reduce or withhold benefits would be taken? What about the reason action was taken? If SSA did make a mistake, is correction only needed if the result is to pay more money to the individual? What was the reason for the mistake? Could it be as simple as a keying error? How about the individual not reporting misinformation on a notice that increased their check? Is it possible to staff SSA with people, computer systems, and procedures that never make a mistake and always work timely to prevent all payment errors? If the problem is an SSA employee who is incompetent, will the union join with management to take adverse action or even fire that employee? Is the ranking to correct SSA payment issues #1:local TV stations, #2:local newspapers, #3:your Senator, and #4: your Congressman/Congresswoman? I left out contacting a lawyer because they charge for their time and contacting SSA because, as you say, "You certainly can't expect the agency to resolve the issue or tell you what to do."
The best thing for a person to do in this situation is to call their congressman/woman. The congressional offices will make an inquiry which will force SSA to take the matter seriously and resolve the matter so they don't get heat from congress.
Call your congressman? Seriously? They have a flunky send an email saying they are "interested" and that is it. Then when a decision is made in the proper course of time - a year or so, the congressman gets a letter saying a decision was made. It is time people put the heat on Congress to provide more money for staffing - not bonuses for what staff we have left to retire early.
Sorry, 11:50am, I'm afraid that's just not the case. In my hearing office it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever whether a case has been flagged with "Congressional interest." It neither speeds up nor slows down, and no one does anything differently than a case without such "interest."
I think the original poster is not educated on the law, here. Even if SSA is at fault for an overpayment, the claimant is still obligated to repay, except for certain exceptional circumstances involving inability to replay. Even if the payment was in error, that's still money that belongs to the Treasury, not the claimant.
So I've worked at the Payment Center for many years and now many years with hearing offices. Contacting a congressperson about an overpayment used to require priority action at the Payment Center. However, my experience at hearing offices is that Congressional interest has no effect on speeding the process.
6 comments:
So, are you saying SSA provided no written notice with appeal rights and information when the action to reduce or withhold benefits would be taken? What about the reason action was taken? If SSA did make a mistake, is correction only needed if the result is to pay more money to the individual? What was the reason for the mistake? Could it be as simple as a keying error? How about the individual not reporting misinformation on a notice that increased their check? Is it possible to staff SSA with people, computer systems, and procedures that never make a mistake and always work timely to prevent all payment errors? If the problem is an SSA employee who is incompetent, will the union join with management to take adverse action or even fire that employee? Is the ranking to correct SSA payment issues #1:local TV stations, #2:local newspapers, #3:your Senator, and #4: your Congressman/Congresswoman? I left out contacting a lawyer because they charge for their time and contacting SSA because, as you say, "You certainly can't expect the agency to resolve the issue or tell you what to do."
The best thing for a person to do in this situation is to call their congressman/woman. The congressional offices will make an inquiry which will force SSA to take the matter seriously and resolve the matter so they don't get heat from congress.
Call your congressman? Seriously? They have a flunky send an email saying they are "interested" and that is it. Then when a decision is made in the proper course of time - a year or so, the congressman gets a letter saying a decision was made. It is time people put the heat on Congress to provide more money for staffing - not bonuses for what staff we have left to retire early.
Sorry, 11:50am, I'm afraid that's just not the case. In my hearing office it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever whether a case has been flagged with "Congressional interest." It neither speeds up nor slows down, and no one does anything differently than a case without such "interest."
I think the original poster is not educated on the law, here. Even if SSA is at fault for an overpayment, the claimant is still obligated to repay, except for certain exceptional circumstances involving inability to replay. Even if the payment was in error, that's still money that belongs to the Treasury, not the claimant.
So I've worked at the Payment Center for many years and now many years with hearing offices. Contacting a congressperson about an overpayment used to require priority action at the Payment Center. However, my experience at hearing offices is that Congressional interest has no effect on speeding the process.
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