A woman alleges that Social Security took away $500,000 from her, which she considers as lost money spanning over a period of 27 years.
After suffering a life-altering injury, the once passionate nurse faced a series of unfortunate events, losing her job, her marriage, and even her home. To add insult to injury, she also believes that she missed out on a substantial payout that could have helped ease her financial burdens.
In 1994, Wyonia Butler, a resident of Kentucky, suffered a severe spinal injury while lifting boxes for her employer.
By the time she reached 32 years old, her health began to decline steadily, to the point where she needed several surgeries in order to regain the ability to walk.
During her health battle, she had to leave her job as a nurse and received worker’s compensation for a period of seven months.
According to Wyonia, in an interview with Newsweek, she stated that she had applied for SSDI and informed them on the form that she was previously receiving workers’ compensation, which had since ceased.
“I never expected to find myself on Medicare at such a young age,” I thought to myself in disbelief.
In June 1997, the Social Security Administration (SSA) responded, stating that due to worker’s compensation, her social security check would only cover 80% of her previous wage.
According to Wyonia, she quickly rectified the mistake and notified the SSA about her discontinued receipt of that benefit. However, the issue has remained unresolved for nearly three decades.
She lost over $500,000 in total, with $1,625 being deducted from her pay every month.
“I did as I was asked,” she added. However, no one has ever accomplished or tackled this issue to date.
“When you crunch the numbers, it becomes apparent how much they have taken from me.”
I immediately made a call, expecting prompt assistance. However, on each occasion, I was advised to remain patient as the matter was still being addressed.
“I believe that 27 years is a substantial amount of time to tackle this particular issue.”
Despite making numerous attempts to rectify the issue, including reaching out to SSA officials and contacting her senators, she continues to have the same amount deducted from her pay every month. This frustrating situation has persisted for years without any resolution.
According to Kevin Thompson, a finance expert from 9i Capital Group, a mistake of this magnitude is extremely rare and unprecedented.
Regrettably, his suggestion implies that Wyonia’s chances of recovering all the money are quite slim.
According to him, the SSA system may provide inadequate payments to recipients due to the information it receives.
Sometimes, the information may be inaccurate and require correction. SSA is unlikely to provide a lump sum payment to that individual. However, there might be some form of compensation.
