{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://larson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/larson-davis-wyden-ask-gao-review-social-security-administrations", "Larson, Davis, Wyden Ask GAO to Review Social Security Administration\u2019s Efforts to Improve Customer Service for Overpaid Beneficiaries", "2024-12-09", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "CT", "John B. Larson", "L000557", "larson.house.gov", "larson", "https://larson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. - Today, Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Ranking MemberJohn B. Larson (CT-01), Worker and Family Support Subcommittee Ranking MemberDanny K. Davis (IL-07), and Senate Committee on Finance Chair Ron Wyden (OR) sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a review of ongoing efforts by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to improve customer service for beneficiaries who are seeking to resolve overpayments of their Social Security or Supplemental Security Income benefits.\n\n\u201cIt is impossible to overstate the importance of SSA benefits to the American people \u2013 or the potentially dire consequences if a beneficiary\u2019s monthly payments are put at risk due to the need to recoup an overpayment. While in the vast majority of cases SSA pays the correct amount, recent media reports have highlighted the plight of beneficiaries who unknowingly received overpayments for months or even years, in some cases adding up to tens of thousands of dollars or more,\u201d the Members wrote.\n\n\u201cUnder past policies, SSA often withheld much or all of a person\u2019s Social Security benefits to recoup an overpayment, causing severe hardship,\u201d the Members continued. \u201cIn addition, beneficiaries often found it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to navigate the process to appeal an overpayment or to request relief in the form of a waiver. SSA\u2019s longstanding rules and procedures were extremely complex and put the burden on customers to prove that the agency had erred and that it would cause hardship for them to repay the extra benefits\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are pleased that under the Biden Administration, including through initiatives led by former Commissioner Martin O\u2019Malley, SSA has prioritized taking proactive steps to address often harsh recoupment policies,\u201d the Members concluded.\n\nTo gain a better understanding of the status of SSA\u2019s efforts to improve customer service for beneficiaries who face overpayments, the Members asked the GAO to review:\n\nThe ways in which SSA overpayments can create hardships for beneficiaries.\n\nThe customer service challenges and barriers that beneficiaries have faced in recent years to resolving SSA overpayments.\n\nThe recent changes made by SSA to improve its customer service for beneficiaries who are seeking to understand an overpayment and access relief.\n\nThe steps SSA is taking to evaluate whether the recent changes to its overpayment notices have reduced hardship among overpaid beneficiaries.\n\nSSA\u2019s plan for identifying additional customer service improvements for beneficiaries to resolve their overpayment issues.\n\nRead the full letter here and below.\n\nDear Comptroller Dodaro:\n\nThe Social Security Administration (SSA) provides benefits to more than 70 million people including seniors, survivors, and people with disabilities. Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments help beneficiaries to put food on the table, keep a roof over their heads, pay medical bills, and secure other basics. SSA benefits are particularly important for people of color and women, who on average have fewer resources to fall back on in retirement or in the event of a severe disability, and for children.\n\nIt is impossible to overstate the importance of SSA benefits to the American people \u2013 or the potentially dire consequences if a beneficiary\u2019s monthly payments are put at risk due to the need to recoup an overpayment. While in the vast majority of cases, SSA pays the correct amount, recent media reports have highlighted the plight of beneficiaries who unknowingly received overpayments for months or even years, in some cases adding up to tens of thousands of dollars or more.\n\nUnder past policies, SSA often withheld much or all of a person\u2019s Social Security benefits to recoup an overpayment, causing severe hardship. In addition, beneficiaries often found it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to navigate the process to appeal an overpayment or to request relief in the form of a waiver. SSA\u2019s longstanding rules and procedures were extremely complex and put the burden on customers to prove that the agency had erred and that it would cause hardship for them to repay the extra benefits. Furthermore, years of underfunding have severely eroded SSA\u2019s customer service, making it hard for beneficiaries to get help from SSA\u2019s national 1-800 number or field offices to understand and resolve overpayments.\n\nWe are pleased that under the Biden Administration, including through initiatives led by former Commissioner Martin O\u2019Malley, SSA has prioritized taking proactive steps to address often harsh recoupment policies. To gain a better understanding of the status of SSA\u2019s efforts to improve customer service for beneficiaries who face overpayments, we request that GAO examine the following questions:\n\nWhat are the ways in which SSA overpayments can create hardships for beneficiaries, including worsening beneficiaries\u2019 financial security and health? How did SSA\u2019s past policies and practices, prior to recent changes, contribute to these hardships?\n\nWhat customer service challenges and barriers have beneficiaries faced in recent years to resolve SSA overpayments, including with regard to:\n\nunderstanding the overpayment, including why it occurred and options for relief;\n\nappealing the overpayment;\n\naccessing a monthly repayment plan that they can afford; and\n\napplying for and obtaining a waiver of part or all of the overpaid benefits?\n\nWhat recent changes has SSA made to improve its customer service for beneficiaries who are seeking to understand an overpayment and access relief through an appeal, affordable repayment plan, or waiver? How have these changes altered the experience of beneficiaries who receive overpayment notices, including those who call the agency\u2019s national 1-800 number or visit a field office for assistance?\n\nWhat steps is SSA taking to evaluate whether the changes to its overpayment notices and to its policies and processes for appeals, repayment plans, and waivers have reduced anxiety and hardship among beneficiaries who receive overpayment notices, and what has been found?", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://larson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/larson-davis-wyden-ask-gao-review-social-security-administrations"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9149089455604553, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}