A COUPLE has been left devastated after a letter demanded they pay back tens of thousands of dollars.
It came from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and left them stressing over how to budget it with family expenses.
A family was left with questions after a notice from the Social Security Administration (stock image)[/caption]
The SSA required they pay back thousands[/caption]
The pair, Matt and Kristen Cooper, have two kids and had been recovering from a tragic accident in 2018, per Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV.
Matt was working as a police officer and was shot in between the eyes while on duty.
Social Security payments were distributed consistently to the family afterward for Matt and the children, along with workers’ compensation.
The funds cover a majority of their expenses, according to what they told the outlet.
“Every decision that we made for our family was based on the benefits that we were supposed to have,” Kristen explained.
In 2023, however, they got a letter in the mail from the SSA informing them that there had been an overpayment on the children’s benefits.
PAY UP
The administration demanded the Cooper family pay back a whopping $30,000 for the excess cash.
Additionally, it informed them that the children’s monthly payments would be reduced from $900 to $150, a $750 decrease.
“You think you grieved and then situations like this come up and it just brings back a level of anger and just the need to protect my family,” Matt said of the situation.
“It just feels like we’ve been failed,” Kristen added.
“The system has definitely let us down. And we thought it was something that was going to protect and help us in a time of need.”
The couple isn’t alone either, as thousands of Americans have gotten letters requiring they return an excess of benefits they never even knew about before.
A recipient claimed they were required to pay back $100,000 that was doled out to them over 10 years.
Someone else had to pay back around $27,000.
Filing a waiver with the SSA
Those who cannot afford to pay back the overpayment amounts noted by the SSA or feel they should not have to can file a specific form.
- The form is identified as SSA-632 on the SSA website and can be filled out and submitted at a local office.
- “If you agree that you have been overpaid, but you feel you should not have to pay it back because you did not cause the overpayment and you cannot afford to repay it, you should file Form SSA-632,” the SSA notes on its website.
- It also lists multiple repayment options.
- Recipients with additional questions are urged to call 1-800-772-1213.
WORKER SHORTAGE?
Longtime SSA workers said at the time that the administration was severely understaffed.
“We just don’t have the staff to work overpayments or underpayments,” employee Jessica LaPointe told WSG-TV.
That’s why it could be years before employees re-visit cases and catch any overpayments, with the amount owed back continuing to pile up until it’s caught.
Matt and Kristen Cooper claimed an SSA agent told them during the process that they should view the $30,000 as a loan they have to pay back now.
Of course, there is still a way to appeal overpayment for any American who feels they cannot afford to do so or should not have to.
This happens through a special waiver known as the SSA-632.
It can be filled out and submitted at a local Social Security office.
The Cooper family intended to submit one, but the result of their specific case is unclear.
SSA’S COMMITMENT
SSA spokesperson Darren Lutz previously spoke with The U.S. Sun about overpayments, and the administration said it “informs people about the fact and amount of the overpayment, their right to appeal, and the options to repay, or in some cases, have the debt waived.
“We examine each waiver request to determine, among other factors, if the person caused the debt and their ability to repay.”
“Each person’s situation is unique, and we handle them on a case-by-case basis,” he continued.
A veteran was recently told he’d have to pay back $120,000 after a mistake.
Some grandparents were left in “sheer panic” after an $84,000 overpayment bill they say “ripped” their income away.
