Social Security Goes After Overpayments, Reversing Biden Policy
- Benefits to be withheld even if overpayments were mistake
- Critics say ‘clawback cruelty’ risks hitting blameless seniors
The Social Security Administration recovered $4.9 billion in overpaid benefits last year, according to a report to Congress.
Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The Social Security Administration will resume withholding full benefits from senior citizens who have received overpayments, reversing a Biden policy, in an effort to recoup $7 billion over the next decade.
Critics say it’s a return to the policy they called “clawback cruelty,” because many of the overpayments were mistakes by the government and resulted in seniors being unable to pay bills when their benefits were suddenly reduced to zero.