From WKMG:
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Social Security Administration claimed a survivor of the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016 was never eligible to receive disability benefits, despite being shot several times and unable to work.
Tony Marrero said the agency sent him letters claiming he had to refund the money, which amounted to $20,792. ...
Marrero said he endured several surgeries and a lot of pain after a gunman stormed the Orlando nightclub on June 12, 2016.
“I got shot four times in my lower back. The muscle was completely shattered and I had a hole in my back,” he said. “My left arm was completely shattered. I was supposed to lose this arm, but I didn’t give up, and I told the doctors to give it some time because I have movement in these two fingers.”
Marrero said his injuries prevented him from going back to work at one of the area’s theme parks.
“I could not work. I was out of work for a year-and-a-half,” he said. “I wasn’t able to walk. I wasn’t able to use this arm properly. Notw only that, I worked at a theme park, so psychologically and mentally, I wasn’t prepared to be around big crowds.” ...
Soon after he was cleared to return to work, Marrero said he started receiving letters from the Social Security Administration, which read: “Our records show you were not entitled to disability benefits.” ...
The agency claimed Marrero owed all of the money back and they also dinged his credit report, which has now prevented him from getting a mortgage. ...
News 6 contacted the Social Security Administration to ask why Marrero was retroactively denied benefits. ...
One day later, the agency contacted Marrero and said they were reopening his case. ...
One week later, Social Security contacted him again and told him they were clearing the $20,000 debt. ...
5 comments:
Frustratingly vague. Overpayment? Lack of SSI eligibility? Unreported worker's comp offset?
Easy explanation…someone at SSA made an improper input and caused an overpayment. This happens a lot. We have lots of employees who 1) aren’t trained properly, 2) don’t pay attention to what they’re doing, 3) don’t care because the Union will protect them and 4) rarely is anyone held accountable for anything short of theft.
I see it every day and it sickening because management does nothing. Everyone makes mistakes at times but the government does nothing to deter it, so it’s rampant.
Maybe they decided he could be a Surveillance System Monitor.
Sounded like a fairly simple closed period case. Sounds like someone at the local SSA screwed up.
I'd like someone to take a look backwards now and figure out just how many "accidentally or screw ups" occurred at local field offices; causing how many people to be issued overpayments. Specifically since the pabdmeic started, then when the streamlined waiver and reopening of ssa offices, in September 2020, occurred; and then again after December 31 2020.
Maybe look at how many waivers were actually approved. Or even how many paper files were actually correctly kept and handled. Specifically when office managers were also found to take on caseloads from staff, then issue those overpayments. How many of those overpayments also resulted in people's payments to be stopped. How much of this occurred in a timely fashion and with proper notification and information collecting procedures.
And maybe keep in mind that what some of you might consider a screw up, is actually a human beings life, destroyed. The numbers might astound you.
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