Carolyn W. Colvin, Acting Commissioner of Social Security states:
“I have directed an immediate halt to further referrals under the Treasury Offset Program to recover debts owed to the agency that are 10 years old and older pending a thorough review of our responsibility and discretion under the current law to refer debt to the Treasury Department.
If any Social Security or Supplemental Security Income beneficiary believes they have been incorrectly assessed with an overpayment under this program, I encourage them to request an explanation or seek options to resolve the overpayment.”
Recipients sometimes unwittingly create massive overpayments by continuing to receive money when something has changed about their eligibility status, medical or financial. Repayment of these debts can be crippling and terrifying. This welcome is a welcome relief to these older debts, many of which many have gone undetected by Social Security for years.