Rock Bottom

[jodyathornton]

Well, I thought things couldn't get any worse but boy was I wrong. I just found out that social security is stopping my checks. I'm on disability. I received it about 4 years ago, got the back check and everything. Three years later I was informed that I was overpaid $6000. I owe it to the lawyers. So my son (who is my representative payee) got on the phone to the lawyer and social security. This was either the beginning of this year or the end of last year. They said they'd let us know something. At the worst, I thought social security would take 20% of my check each month. I don't draw very much. Now I find out I won't be receiving anything until the debt is paid off. He even told the lawyer I'd pay them so much a month. The amount wasn't good enough for them. So social security went ahead and paid them the full amount. So now I owe social security. I don't know why they couldn't have stayed out of it. It wasn't even my fault that I was overpaid. If I'd known it from the start, I could've paid the lawyers out of my back check. But no, I didn't find out until 3 years later when I didn't have any money. I don't know what in the hell I'm gonna do. Who wants to live life like this. I'm just so tired. I just needed to get this off my chest. I have to think about selling my mobile home and making some phone calls...canceling things...etc.

 

[Steel]

(((((((Jody)))))))

Unfortunately I don't know enough about the situation over the pond, but is there any route of appeal? It sucks that you have been put into this situation by an error they made - and taking the full amount seems callous in the extreme.

Take care.

 

[Naleena]

This doesn't sound legal. You need to contact a lawyer. There are law firms that help people who can't afford a lawyer. There are also lawyers online in forums that you can ask questions of.

http://www.freeadvice.com/

http://www.freeonlinelegaladvice.org/

http://forum.freeadvice.com/

 

[jodyathornton]

I owe the money since social security paid the lawyer. I just think that it's awful of them to take it like they're doing. There should be a law against it but there's not. The government can do whatever in the hell they want. I definitely don't want a lawyer since they're who I owed in the first place. It would have been nice if they would have taken a low amount from me every month but they wouldn't do that. After all, the lawyer has to make that mercedes payment dont' you know.

 

[Minus]

I an sorry you are going through this. I know nothing about social security but they don't sound like fun people to deal with. Taking your whole check on the demand of some lawyer sounds rather insane.

 

[Twitchy]

Well, I thought things couldn't get any worse but boy was I wrong. I just found out that social security is stopping my checks. I'm on disability. I received it about 4 years ago, got the back check and everything. Three years later I was informed that I was overpaid $6000. I owe it to the lawyers.

I have no experience with social security, but that doesn't sound right. Attempting to make you pay years later for a mistake someone else made is extremely ridiculous, and any reasonable judge would probably agree.

 

[jodyathornton]

Well, I thought things couldn't get any worse but boy was I wrong. I just found out that social security is stopping my checks. I'm on disability. I received it about 4 years ago, got the back check and everything. Three years later I was informed that I was overpaid $6000. I owe it to the lawyers.

I have no experience with social security, but that doesn't sound right. Attempting to make you pay years later for a mistake someone else made is extremely ridiculous, and any reasonable judge would probably agree.

This is social security we're talking about. No reasonable judge would dare agree.

 

[Twitchy]

This is social security we're talking about. No reasonable judge would dare agree.

Are you sure? Is there a statute of limitations on this kind of thing? There must be something you can do, I just have no idea what it could be.

Remind me to get rich and move to another country so I never have to deal with social security. Sorry you have to go through this and sorry I'm not any help.