Social Security goes after vet 41 years later

[kent]

41 years later? $493.80?  How about expending you efforts on those abusing the system?   

Social Security bills disabled Hayward war vet over 41-year-old checks

In part from:  www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_24587338/social-security-bills-disabled-hayward-war-vet-over

HAYWARD -- For Vietnam War veteran Thomas Testerman, a letter he recently received from the Defense Department was a reminder of the mistreatment his generation of soldiers faced.

Landing in his mailbox two days before Veterans Day, the letter informed him that he owes nearly $500 because of checks the Social Security Administration mistakenly sent him in 1972. If Testerman does not pay or dispute the bill, the letter stated, deductions from his monthly military retirement checks will begin just days before Christmas.

"The disabled vets from my era have been putting up with this crap for decades now," he said. "It's not right what they're doing to these guys."

Testerman, 61, of Hayward, says he nearly died from a lengthy list of wartime wounds, including severe injuries to his bladder, pelvis and scalp, and fractures to a hip, knee, femur bone and two vertebrae. Testerman, the son of a war veteran, says he lives in constant pain and, though he stands on his own, sometimes he must use a cane to walk.

"On a pain scale of 1 to 10, I walk around every day with a 7 or 8," he said.

While he was recovering 41 years ago, the government began mailing the monthly disability checks that he still receives today. Social Security then sent him a couple of checks, which perplexed him. Though he cashed a couple of them, Testerman consulted his attorney, who said he was not eligible for the Social Security payments. On his lawyer's advice, Testerman stopped cashing the checks, mailing them back for several months until the agency stopped sending them.

[kent]

Two hours have gone by - no comments - Wow!

I guess I'm the only one in the room that finds this outrageous - so be it......

[Tennesseer]

Kent-this subject might be better placed on either Current Events or P&M.

Having said that, you are right. If the SS Admin can expend all that research on one person, going back 41 years, they sure can, as well as other government agencies, start looking into the abuses within their own systems.

$493.80?  Let the agency eat it.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Sounds like some bean counter had time to do an audit.  I got turned into collections for a $11.56 medical bill that I'd been told was written off 4 years ago.  After 41 years, eat the money.   SS should have bigger fish to fry than this guy.

[Deleted]

Nov 25, 2013 16:32:12 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Sounds like some bean counter had time to do an audit.  I got turned into collections for a $11.56 medical bill that I'd been told was written off 4 years ago.  After 41 years, eat the money.   SS should have bigger fish to fry than this guy.

Basically this.

Someone had too much time on their hands.

[Deleted]

Nov 25, 2013 12:57:09 GMT -5 kent said:

41 years later? $493.80?  How about expending you efforts on those abusing the system?   

Social Security bills disabled Hayward war vet over 41-year-old checks

In part from:  www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_24587338/social-security-bills-disabled-hayward-war-vet-over

HAYWARD -- For Vietnam War veteran Thomas Testerman, a letter he recently received from the Defense Department was a reminder of the mistreatment his generation of soldiers faced.

Landing in his mailbox two days before Veterans Day, the letter informed him that he owes nearly $500 because of checks the Social Security Administration mistakenly sent him in 1972. If Testerman does not pay or dispute the bill, the letter stated, deductions from his monthly military retirement checks will begin just days before Christmas.

"The disabled vets from my era have been putting up with this crap for decades now," he said. "It's not right what they're doing to these guys."

Testerman, 61, of Hayward, says he nearly died from a lengthy list of wartime wounds, including severe injuries to his bladder, pelvis and scalp, and fractures to a hip, knee, femur bone and two vertebrae. Testerman, the son of a war veteran, says he lives in constant pain and, though he stands on his own, sometimes he must use a cane to walk.

"On a pain scale of 1 to 10, I walk around every day with a 7 or 8," he said.

While he was recovering 41 years ago, the government began mailing the monthly disability checks that he still receives today. Social Security then sent him a couple of checks, which perplexed him. Though he cashed a couple of them, Testerman consulted his attorney, who said he was not eligible for the Social Security payments. On his lawyer's advice, Testerman stopped cashing the checks, mailing them back for several months until the agency stopped sending them.

You mean like people that cash SS checks that don't belong to them?

[tskeeter]

Nov 25, 2013 16:50:13 GMT -5 TheHaitian said:

Nov 25, 2013 16:32:12 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Sounds like some bean counter had time to do an audit.  I got turned into collections for a $11.56 medical bill that I'd been told was written off 4 years ago.  After 41 years, eat the money.   SS should have bigger fish to fry than this guy.

Basically this.

Someone had too much time on their hands.

Sounds to me like the SSA has a new computer program that identifies over payments, sends out dunning letters, and notifies other government entities to withhold money from payments they are making and send it to the SSA.  After the program is written, it is very likely that no person is involved in evaluating the reasonableness of the demand notice.  Wonder if the SSA got some advice from the IRS, the home of the bills for $0.00, on this one. 

[Virgil Showlion]

Guy should count himself lucky.

According to my Phil Script, a lump sum debt of $493.80 bearing an annual interest of 11% could grow to $35,628.15 in 41 years.

[Artemis Windsong]

Good catch, Virgil.

[the flying reindeer]

I feel sorry for him, but having said that, he brought it on himself. He should have questioned the checks when he first got them and not cashed any until he found out why he was receiving them. As Virgil has shown, he's lucky that they aren't comimg after him for a lot more.
P.S. I'm a veteran of the US Air Force from the 1960s who used my benefits to pay for me to finish my college education. I got one check too many and returned it to the VA.

[Virgil Showlion]

There should be a statute of limitations for the government's ability to recoup its screw-ups, though. It's not as if this fellow could go to them and say, "I missed receiving two SSDI cheques from 41 years ago. Pay up."

[mmhmm]

kent, I'm going to move this thread to Current Events.  I think you're not getting as many responses as you could because the thread is misplaced.  Let's see what happens. 

mmhmm, Administrator

[the flying reindeer]

Nov 25, 2013 18:47:27 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

There should be a statute of limitations for the government's ability to recoup its screw-ups, though. It's not as if this fellow could go to them and say, "I missed receiving two SSDI cheques from 41 years ago. Pay up."

I agree with Virgil's proposal wholeheartedly - like 10 years? Anything after that the agency involved has to eat its mess.

[Deleted]

what is the statute of limitations on collections normally?

i know some things never go away....but 41 years is ridiculous

should he have returned the checks...yes

should someone from the agency have caught it MUCH earlier....yes

after 41 years, a call to his congressman should be sufficient to make this go away

some things are not worth pursuing....i think this is one of them

[EVT1]

 The statute of limitations in this instance is a defense to being sued for old debt- depending on state I think 7 years average.  People can still attempt to collect, and can still sue you even if the time has passed.  Easy win- invoke the statute and you get a summary judgment.

The government is another ball of wax- SSA and the IRS operate the same- if they think you owe they will just chalk it against you and take it.  They have that power.   A bank can do it to- hey, we messed up 20 years ago so we took a few hundred out of your account- what are you going to do?  If it was theirs you are screwed.  They may not be able to sue you for it, but they can deduct your account and defend it.

On the topic of collections- a word of warning to anyone that gets a call from zombie debt collectors- do not ever acknowledge you owe an old debt or agree to pay ANYTHING.  You will reset the clock and then they can sue you for the whole enchilada.  

[kent]

Merry Christmas Mr. Testerman, sorry you had to go through this and thank you for your service.

Social Security waives nearly $500 debt it said Hayward war veteran owed

HAYWARD -- It's not exactly a Christmas miracle, but a decision by government officials to waive a nearly $500 bill they'd tried to charge war veteran Thomas Testerman because of their erroneous payments brought some holiday cheer to his family.

Forgiveness from Testerman, however, might take considerably longer.

"That's one burden that's gone," the former Navy petty officer said. "But it bothers me and I'm still wondering, why did I have to go through this? Why did all this have to happen?"

What happened started in 1972, when Testerman was ailing from major combat wounds suffered during the Vietnam War. While he was recovering.......

www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_24784081/social-security-waives-nearly-500-debt-it-said

[billisonboard]

So which repayments of inappropriately disbursed government funds should be waived and at what bureaucratic level do we wish to grant the power to waive them?

[DVM gone riding]

I think 10-15 yr and a reasonable level of bureaucracy. 41 yr fits most peoples definition of "ridiculous" and any mid-level manger should be able to make THAT call.