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.
Totally agree with post by 614Patriot. "Severe financial hardship" is a thing. They may even be able to pay only $10-20 per month, ask what the minimum is. I know with hospital bills, as long as you are paying "something" they won't come after you. My ex was "paying off" a $100,000+ hospital bill with $25 per month. Even the IRS lets you come up with a payment plan.
Maybe they need a different lawyer, one who specializes in SSA disability cases.