An investigation by 素人色情片Health News and Cox Media Group gained further traction on Capitol Hill this week as additional members of Congress formally demanded answers from the Social Security Administration about billions of dollars it mistakenly paid to beneficiaries 鈥 and then ordered they repay.
Two members of a Senate panel that oversees Social Security to the agency鈥檚 acting commissioner, Kilolo Kijakazi, urging her to do more to prevent overpayments and 鈥渓imit harm to vulnerable beneficiaries鈥 when trying to recover the money.
As 素人色情片Health News and Cox Media Group television stations jointly reported in September, the Social Security Administration routinely sends notices to beneficiaries saying they received benefits to which they weren鈥檛 entitled 鈥 and demanding they pay the government back, often within 30 days.
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In the 2022 federal fiscal year, for example, the agency sent overpayment notices to more than 1 million people, Kijakazi told Congress in mid-October.
Alleged overpayments can continue for years before the government notifies a recipient and seeks repayment. By then, the amount a beneficiary allegedly owes the government can reach tens of thousands of dollars or more. People living check to check likely would have spent the money.
To recoup money owed, the government can reduce or stop people鈥檚 monthly benefit checks.
鈥淸W]e have been deeply concerned by stories from our constituents and recent reports of the extreme financial hardship placed upon beneficiaries who are asked to quickly repay in full or whose payments are halted, reduced, or reclaimed as the agency attempts to correct improper payments, many of which occurred due to agency error,鈥 Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) wrote in a Nov. 28 letter to Kijakazi.
Citing the news organizations鈥 reporting, the senators asked what Kijakazi is doing to prevent harm to beneficiaries and what Congress can do.
Hassan and Cassidy are on the Senate Finance Committee鈥檚 Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy.
Meanwhile, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) sent Kijakazi a letter on Nov. 17 calling the
鈥淚f anyone intentionally defrauded the system or lied to receive payments at other taxpayers鈥 expense, they should absolutely be held accountable and repay this debt to taxpayers,鈥 Scott wrote. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 completely wrong for the federal government to go after well-intentioned Americans who did all the right things and trusted that their government was doing the right thing, too.鈥
Many of the people affected are disabled, low-income, or both and are enrolled in the Social Security Administration鈥檚 Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income programs.
In the 2022 fiscal year, the agency issued an estimated $4.6 billion in SSI overpayments, which represented 8% of payments in that program, according to the agency鈥檚 latest .
Kijakazi recently told a House subcommittee the 8% was 鈥渁 small percentage.鈥
In other programs administered by the agency, there were an estimated $6.5 billion in overpayments in fiscal 2022, which amounted to one-half of 1%. Kijakazi called that overpayment rate 鈥渆xtremely low.鈥
During the 2023 fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30, the agency recovered $4.9 billion in overpayments, according to a by Social Security鈥檚 inspector general. At the end of that period, an additional $23 billion of accumulated overpayments remained uncollected, the statement said.
Since 素人色情片Health News and Cox Media Group TV stations published and broadcast news reports on overpayment clawbacks in September, several members of the House and Senate have written to the Social Security Administration calling for change or answers.
鈥淢any of these overpayment notices come as a complete surprise to SSA beneficiaries, leaving them confused, shocked, and scared that they cannot pay what SSA says they owe,鈥 Rep. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat and Senate candidate, said in . 鈥淎nd, because of an indefinite 鈥榣ook-back period鈥, SSA can collect funds from a recipient for an error going back decades,鈥 he added.
Asked about the latest letters from lawmakers, Social Security spokesperson Nicole Tiggemann said the agency 鈥渨ill respond directly to the requestors.鈥
Kijakazi said in October that she ordered a 鈥渢op-to-bottom鈥 review of how the agency handles overpayments.
Under federal law, the agency must seek recovery of overpaid amounts unless circumstances warrant waiving the debts, Kijakazi said in to Congress. There鈥檚 no time limit on efforts to collect the debts, she said.
In their letter to the acting commissioner, Cassidy and Hassan asked what the agency is doing to make it less burdensome for beneficiaries to appeal or seek a waiver when an overpayment is the government鈥檚 fault.
In response to questions for this article, Tiggemann, the Social Security spokesperson, said, 鈥淲e will examine our policies and procedures 鈥 including our regulations 鈥 to determine where administrative updates to the overpayment recovery and waiver process may reduce the complexity and burden for the people we serve.鈥
Scott, the Florida Republican, asked if the review Kijakazi announced in October would be disclosed to the public. In a written response to questions for this article, the Social Security spokesperson didn鈥檛 say.
Samantha Manning of CMG鈥檚 Washington news bureau contributed to this report.
Do you have an experience with Social Security overpayments you鈥檇 like to share? to contact our reporting team.
