Adam Noble calls EMS “the heart of the public service.”
He told Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke he was part of that “heart,” working in New York on 9/11. Like many, he says he felt fine at first, but as months and years went on, he says, “I was always sick, always sick, always in pain. And just couldn’t …. work.”
>>CLICK HERE for more Action 9 reports
He says he started on Social Security disability around 2010. He says then -- last year -- a shock: The agency told him they’d overpaid him about $3,700. It’s not clear why. So -- he says -- they’re still giving him benefits every month, but about $100 less.
“It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s a lot when you’re on a fixed income and you’re trying to budget everything,” he said.
“You pay into a system that you’re hoping is going to be there for you,” he said. “Does the government think we’re worthless because we got hurt? I just don’t understand. And I’m not talking about myself. I’m talking about everybody, as a whole. These people are suffering. It doesn’t matter what ailment it is.”
Social Security overpayments can happen for a variety of reasons. Maybe something changed like your income or marital status, or maybe the Social Security Administration, made a mistake.
Either way, you could end up on the hook for the money.
If Social Security determines they’ve overpaid you, they’ll mail you a notice and start withholding part -- or all -- of your monthly payment.
You can request an appeal or, more precisely, what’s called a reconsideration.
But you only have 60 days after the Notice of Overpayment, 65, if you include mailing.
You can also ask Social Security to waive the overpayment. You’d have to prove:
- The overpayment isn’t your fault
- A financial hardship -- a good reason you can’t afford to pay it back. Click here for the form.
“Requesting reconsideration is definitely one avenue and it essentially says, ‘I was not overpaid, let’s look at the evidence, and then figure that out.’ Whereas waiver says, ‘Yes, I was overpaid, but I meet the no fault and good conscience or equity standards for getting the waiver of the overpayment,’” said Mark Fessler, a lawyer with South Carolina Legal Services.
You can ask for a repayment plan if reconsideration and waiver don’t work or last resort: bankruptcy. Just know it’ll hurt your credit.
Noble says reconsideration didn’t work and that he didn’t ask for a waiver.
Social Security emailed Action 9 to say it couldn’t talk about his case for privacy reasons.
If you want to talk to a lawyer:
- You may want to start with the National Organization of Social Security Claimant Representatives. They can refer you.
- You may even be eligible for free help. In North Carolina: Legal Aid. In South Carolina: Legal Services
VIDEO: Georgia woman says Social Security demands thousands of dollars back years after grandson’s death
This browser does not support the video element.