- ORIGINAL NEWS
Here’s what beneficiaries need to know as the Social Security Administration phases in new policies for overpayments
- SUMMARY
**Overpayments in Social Security Benefits: New Policies for Reduced Withholdings and Waivers** Individuals receiving Social Security benefits who have previously received overpayments will now face reduced monthly withholding rates.
Instead of the previous policy of deducting 100% of their total monthly benefit, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will now deduct either 10% of the benefit or $10, whichever is greater.
This change aims to alleviate the financial burden on beneficiaries who have inadvertently received excess payments.
The SSA previously required them to repay these overpayments in full, often leading to significant deductions from their monthly checks.
Additionally, the SSA is implementing other policies to address overpayments.
The burden of proof for determining who is responsible for the error will now be shifted away from beneficiaries.
They will also have more time to repay overpayments, with the maximum repayment plan extended to 60 months.
Furthermore, beneficiaries can now more easily request a waiver to avoid repaying overpayments.
Particularly those facing economic hardship or risk of eviction due to the repayments may qualify for such waivers.
The new policies are designed to provide greater flexibility and protection for Social Security beneficiaries.
While the previous policy of withholding all of a monthly benefit was burdensome, the reduced withholding rates and expanded waiver options will offer relief to those affected by overpayments.
It is crucial for beneficiaries to know that they should contact the SSA to ensure their withholding rate is lowered to 10%.
They should also consider requesting a waiver if they are unable to afford the repayments or if they believe the overpayment was not their fault.
- NEWS SENTIMENT CHECK
- Overall sentiment:
positive
Positive
“Affected beneficiaries may also qualify to have those repayments waived.”
“But it might not be clear that an overpayment has happened for years, sometimes resulting in overpayment notices for tens of thousands of dollars.”
Negative
““Although in the last few years, it’s been a steady, though shockingly high, sum total of overpaid individuals.””
“Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, beneficiaries who face strict limits on their income and assets are particularly vulnerable to overpayment issues, Camp said.”