Social Security "overpayments" clawed back decades later: attn ROB!

[iris lilies]

Hey Rob here's one to add to your bucket of reasons why we don't like or trust Big Goobermnet:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/social-security-treasury-target-hundreds-of-thousands-of-taxpayers-for-parents-old-debts/2014/04/10/74ac8eae-bf4d-11e3-bcec-b71ee10e9bc3_story.html

The Washington Post details how, 3 years ago, the IRS started holding back tax refunds, carrying out the will of their sister department, Social Security.

It seems that when Social security overpaid someone the record was kept forever and--here's the creepy part--the heirs of the person who got the extra money have to pay. Pretty amazing.

Now as a taxpayer I have to say that I don't mind Nanny G going after overpayments, in the general. But in the specific, waiting decades is incredibly stupid, or bullying, or incompetent or [insert any number of uncomplimentary adjectives.] I would like to note that this debacle started on President Obama's watch and he gets the credit for it. My head explodes thinking of how, if this was happening on GW Bush's watch, peggy and her crew would be jumpin' all over it. But we hear--crickets.

[rosarugosa]

IL: That's pretty horrifying. I guess this is another good reason not to have too much withheld.

[gimmethesimplelife]

Creepy. Very creepy. Does not make me feel warm and fuzzy toward the government at all. And what's even more bizarre, IL, is that I ran across this online a couple of days ago (from a different source) and thought of you. The idea that they can go after heirs for their mistakes (SS's mistakes, I mean) - who do they think they are? Wait until a few high profile cases end out leaving the US due to this.....Rob

PS I'm very against this IL, I don't care whose watch it is on. This is just not right regardless of who is in office. No crickets will you hear from me.

[Alan]

Wealth transfer is an ideological staple of our current government. Give to one, take from another. Just wait until it comes time to pay the national debt.

[creaker]

Wow - I wonder when the student loan folks will jump on the bandwagon as well?

[iris lilies]

Wow - I wonder when the student loan folks will jump on the bandwagon as well?

What's the analogy? Not getting it.

[flowerseverywhere]

Wealth transfer is an ideological staple of our current government. Give to one, take from another. Just wait until it comes time to pay the national debt.
Gotta agree with you on this one. My bets are on the burden falling on the shoulders of the middle and upper middle class.

Creaker, the student loan folks are on the bandwagon. They can garnish ss if you co sign a student loan, and the debt will follow you to ss if it not paid off. The moral of that story is student loan is no longer necessarily good debt. But you did sign the paper. In the story though, the current people they are going after may not have benefitted from the payment, may not have known about it, and they may be for SS mistakes, not the recipients. Totally different ball game.

[Suzanne]

I'd love to see Judge Judy try this one! Well, SS, you can produce no documentation whatsover and you have a vague idea that somebody that you can't identify in this family may gotten some extra money 30 or 40 years ago, so you decided that you would hunt down a descendant who has an income and steal that person's tax refund...

[creaker]

What's the analogy? Not getting it.

I've heard stories of portions of people's SS checks being garnished for school loans - if they could go after descendants as well, I'm sure they would.

[jp1]

If I were one of the people in this article I'd call the tv news (there's a segment on one of the stations here called '7 on your side' and get them to come with me to the local social security office for an explanation. This is the kind of story they eat up. Enough publicity and nonsense like this will stop.

[iris lilies]

If I were one of the people in this article I'd call the tv news (there's a segment on one of the stations here called '7 on your side' and get them to come with me to the local social security office for an explanation. This is the kind of story they eat up. Enough publicity and nonsense like this will stop.

Perhaps, but only because we are nearing an election year. Doing it on the sly is ThePrez' MO. Once he's found out, his party won't continue if the political fallout is too awful.

[flowerseverywhere]

If I were one of the people in this article I'd call the tv news (there's a segment on one of the stations here called '7 on your side' and get them to come with me to the local social security office for an explanation. This is the kind of story they eat up. Enough publicity and nonsense like this will stop.


Actually i I would try to figure out who wrote and sponsored the legislation. Then I would call and write every congressman and senator in the opposing party and tell my story as well as the news. This would be outstanding publicity in the next election. And regardless of which party, in the long run the little people could win if this legislation was reversed.

[peggy]

Actually i I would try to figure out who wrote and sponsored the legislation. Then I would call and write every congressman and senator in the opposing party and tell my story as well as the news. This would be outstanding publicity in the next election. And regardless of which party, in the long run the little people could win if this legislation was reversed.

Yeah, ya know. Something tells me it's a republican who sponsored this. Sounds like something they would do.

[Alan]

Yeah, ya know. Something tells me it's a republican who sponsored this. Sounds like something they would do.It's one line in a Farm Bill from 2011. The one line apparently repeals the 10 year statute of limitations on collecting overpayments. Who knows who did it, but to me, the real concern is the Treasury Department deciding to go after the children or other next of kin to collect the money.

[iris lilies]

Yeah, ya know. Something tells me it's a republican who sponsored this. Sounds like something they would do.

Yeah, ya know. Something tells me someone in The Big Chair at 1600 Penn Ave finalized it by signing it. Sounds like something he would do.

[flowerseverywhere]

Looks like they halted the program once the news article was circulated


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/social-security-halts-effort-collect-old-debts-210451285--politics.html

[flowerseverywhere]

Yeah, ya know. Something tells me someone in The Big Chair at 1600 Penn Ave finalized it by signing it. Sounds like something he would do.
Maybe you don't know what's in it until you pass it. No wait, wrong bill.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Maybe you don't know what's in it until you pass it. No wait, wrong bill.

That's probably most bills.

[iris lilies]

Maybe you don't know what's in it until you pass it. No wait, wrong bill.

Haha!

Oops, got caught they did. Nasty slimeballs.