So my dad is on disability/retirement pension and they received a letter stating that the SSA overpaid them the last few years and that my parents owe them $20,000. Now I'm sure this is chump change to many here and doesn't sound like a whole lot, but with the amount of bills they have to pay they have no hope in paying these people back for quite some time. Possibly 3 years at the earliest... the SSA sent a letter stating if they don't pay back that money they'll either stop the benefits or deduct money from each check to pay back the owed $20k.
All this to say that I'm infuriated by how evil these people are. It's clearly not my parents fault and they even state in the letter that it's not their fault, but they still spring this shit on their lap. Their lawyer apparently told them that nothing can be done about it either.
Well, that's crappy but not exactly surprising. I think the best they could do is try and negotiate for the smallest possible amount to be deducted from their check.
I think very few people would consider $20,000 chump change. I am really sorry they are placed in this position. I am sure they do not need the stress and worry not to mention the smaller monthly check in this economy.