Elderly man facing homelessness after Social Security orders $60,000 repayment

by KCTV/CNN/CNN Newsource

PECULIAR, Mo. (KCTV/CNN/CNN Newsource/WKRC) - An elderly man is facing homelessness after Social Security ordered him to repay over $60,000.

According to KCTV, Tim Middaugh of Peculiar, Missouri has been a recipient of Social Security for years. Recently, Middaugh told the outlet that he was mailed a letter from the agency saying he was overpaid and owed more than $62,000.

“There’s no way,” Middaugh told the outlet. “The scary part of this is, I’m just one step away from being homeless.”

According to the federal government, Middaugh isn't alone. More than 65 million Americans receive benefits from Social Security, but about a million each year get notification letters saying they were overpaid.

Although some of the overpayments were from a decade ago, the government said, by law, the money had to be paid back.

The issue has gotten attention on Capitol Hill, where the head of the Social Security Administration recently testified that they were reviewing the overpayments.

Middaugh said in the meantime, he has been forced to sell anything he can to stay afloat, which included his jewelry, his guns and personal treasures. 

“I sold a Snap-on toolbox that I’ve had since I was 18 years old,” Middaugh told KCTV. “It was my pride and joy. It’s gone.”

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Elderly man facing homelessness after Social Security orders $60,000 repayment