Noteboom The Law Firm

Disability Overpayments Are Being Pursued

Getting an overpayment in either Social Security disability or Supplemental Security Income payments could seem like a dream come true. Unfortunately, it can be quite inconvenient, especially if you knew nothing about it until you were ordered to pay it back.

According to NWTN Today, the Social Security Administration has had quite a few cases in which beneficiaries were overpaid for years, prompting an investigation by the Government Accountability Office. Much of the confusion seems to stem from former beneficiaries who previously could not work at all, but now have a job through the Ticket to Work program.

Though the program has good intentions in that it allows disabled people to try returning to work slowly without losing their benefits, it is supposed to gradually wean some people off the disability payroll. If former recipients can no longer work, or work only limited hours, they can usually receive benefits once again, which is why the program is so attractive to many.

Once disability recipients can work fulltime jobs, they are supposed to stop receiving benefits from the SSA. However, in some cases, this has not occurred, and those who are fully capable of supporting themselves also get monthly checks from the government. With such costly mistakes, it is no wonder the SSA is struggling.

Since most recipients are still disabled at the time of the payments, and typically not making much money, it is difficult to get all of the funds back. Hence, the SSA has to move on in most cases, with no hope of recovering the lost money.

While getting more money than you are supposed to might sound helpful right now, the consequences down the road are unattractive, particularly when you are asked to repay the funds. Additionally, these kinds of mistakes could prevent many deserving people from getting the money they need for their disability.

You should know that the mistake is never your fault. It is likely due to the SSA being understaffed. However, paying attention to your monthly payment amount, especially keeping an eye out for either underpayment or overpayment, could ensure that the SSA can help as many people as possible.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida disability lawyers, LaVan & Neidenberg, represent over 5000 disability claimants. Our disability attorneys have experience with cross examining agency-appointed medical and vocational experts and take time when speaking with you about your disability claim. Call us today at 1-888-234-5758 for a FREE legal consultation. There is NO OBLIGATION to hire our firm and there are NO FEES unless one of our trained disability lawyers wins your case.