Two big changes coming to Social Security you need to know about

Yahoo Finance ^ | 3/15/25 | Jordan Weissmann

[Libloather]

In recent days, the Trump administration has announced two high-profile and controversial policy changes it says are meant to combat waste and fraud in Social Security.

First, the agency said it would resume garnishing entire benefit checks from Americans who receive overpayments, undoing a reform that had capped clawbacks at a smaller amount. Social Security officials claim the change will help the government recover an additional $7 billion over 10 years.

Later, the agency announced that enrollees would no longer be allowed to change their direct deposit information over the phone but would instead be required to use an online process with two-factor authentication or visit a Social Security office in person. The measure is meant to prevent some types of fraud.

Both decisions have been met with criticism. Former officials and outside experts worry the new clawback policy will punish poorer beneficiaries who can’t afford to have their full checks taken away, while the additional security measures around bank account information will unnecessarily burden many seniors who lack computer skills.

Here’s what you need to know.

Clawbacks

[TexasGator]

“Well, since you apparently can’t follow a conversation up the thread, it’s on me that I didn’t more clearly designate the portion I was quoting, for the benefits of folks like you.”

Well since you don’t know how to proper quote another I will assist you.

One very proper way is to use quotes as I did above.

I have also seem other ways such as putting it in italics. Some even also indent so it is very clear that the words are not it there own.

[mass55th]

Yep, she said it last May:

Kathy Hochul’s dim slur on black kids and computers exposes Dems’ condescending ignorance

[Gideon300]

“Governor Hochul said: ‘Right now, we have young black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word ‘computer’ is. They don’t know these things.’ “

But it’s a safe bet to say they know what “sail foam” means.

[Does so]

I was advised that my password dated from 2020, and their requirements had changed. A password needed changing. The backup sign-in was sent to my email address. I have no idea why the directions for the code were in Spanish.

Many hoops later, I decided on using the new password the old way.

[Myrddin]

The social security benefit that you are entitled to receive should depend upon nothing more or less than what you paid into your "account" during your employed years. No other income should be taken into account to lower the benefit you are due as a consequence of your contributions.

[californian by choice]

I have a sneaking suspicion that I shouldn’t worry about that.

[Drago]

Yeah, but the government promised that “Login.gov” was going to be the universal login for all government agencies! Now I have to have multiple logins for FedGov agencies and “ID.me” is a 3rd party/private company giving hackers additional “attack profiles”/hacking targets. 3 FedGov logins for me so far...Login.gov (Medicare, etc.), ID.me (IRS, SS), and a regular username/PW for “TreasuryDirect”. 3x the hacking/data breach opportunities unfortunately.

[thinkthenpost]

I agree but it really isn’t relevant to this conversation.

I wrote if you were overpaid by the government and the over payment was not because of fraud on your part, AND you largely or completely rely on Social Security to survive.
That, in my opinion the claw back should not be more than half your monthly benefit payment until the over payment amount has been returned to the government.

You seem to think I am advocating for a means test of what you should receive, I am not.
The scenario I am referring to is limited to when the government has paid you more then you ought to be receiving and how the federal government is going to get that extra money back.

[kelly4c]

Yeah, well my mother has neuropathy can barely walk, can’t drive so no car, doesn’t own a computer or want to pay for internet, has bad eyes. I don’t believe she or anyone else should be forced to use the Internet to take care of essential business.

[Reddy]

“They actually pay a month behind.”

Yeah, I know that.

She definitely died on October 31st.

And she definitely had the payment she received in October clawed back. My BIL showed us the information as he was executor.

[P.O.E.]

My SS got screwed up during Covid - wasn’t able to get anyone on the phone for months. Endless rounds of filling out forms, responding to requests, etc. Eventually got settled, but I have two big boxes of paperwork of all the back-and-forths.

[Myrddin]

Clarification noted. I understand the problem of being "overpaid". I was burning PTO while being treated for cancer. I applied for short term disability. It was authorized and I was paid disability for some of the days that I took PTO. The claim was that I was overpaid. I was not. I earned the PTO and it was debited from my PTO hours accrual. I had the option to "buy back" the PTO hours that were paid. In the end, it was too much trouble to do the paperwork for me and my employer. The "buy back" would have been accomplished by reducing future paychecks. The payroll office was perplexed and the time card software system was too inflexible to implement the "policy". The company did steal 32 hours from me and had no means of making that right.

I understand the impact on parties who rely solely on social security income to have a hard claw back wiping out their income stream.

[EinNYC]

Hochul claims the black kids don’t know what the word “computer” means? Then why have they been stealing all the laptops the schools place in classrooms? They must have an idea of the resale value of these nameless things.

[mass55th]

"But it’s a safe bet to say they know what “sail foam” means."

ROFL!! I had to look that one up!!

[metmom]

If the overpayment is due to fraud on the part of the recipient, that is a crime and needs to be treated as such.

If it’s a government screw up, then the government needs to suck it up. Simply correct the error and do not penalize the innocent party.

[ridesthemiles]

When I MOVED-—I changed BANKS & THEY HELPED ME CHANGE MY DEPOSITS FROM SOC SEC.

IS THIS CANCELLING THE ABILITY OF BANKS TO DO SUCH???

IF I AM OPENING A NEW BANK ACCOUNT & I HAVE TO PROPERLY PROVIDE ALL THE ID THEY REQUIRE (PATRIOT ACT) -—Then THAT SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT.

DOING SUCH A CHANGE ON A COMPUTER ONLY & NOT IN PERSON DOES NOT LOWER FRAUD, IMO.

[ridesthemiles]

I KNOW AT LEAST 3 adults retired within 2 miles of me that have NO COMPUTERS at all.

Local burn permits for brush, etc, were changed this last fall & IT HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE.

OLD system: Call for permit blank form-—fill it in-—send original back to fire dept & keep copy-—Call on for “YES-it is a burn day or NO IT is NOT a burn day-—AS NECESSARY

THAT ALL WORKED FINE. NOW—

NO WAY TO PHONE FOR PERMISSION-—AND ANYONE who didn’t have computer had to go to local fire STATION & TRY TO GET HELP THERE- to get the form—

EVEN THOSE GUYS DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO FILL IT ALL OUT.

THEY ARE REALLY GOOD GUYS & I FELT SORRY FOR THEM-—THEY ARE IN THE MIDDLE.

[WildHighlander57]

I had trouble with the website because I bollixed up my password entry too many times and didn’t get the “3 secret questions” right and it locked me out.

The only time I used the website previously was in late 2020 to set up my account and sign up for social security.

I asked for a password reset and they were supposed to send me a letter with the temporary password, but it’s been almost two months and I haven’t received anything.

So, my choice is to never be able to use the website or go to the office and wait hours just to get an appointment time and then go in at that appointment.

[ridesthemiles]

Sounds like all this is predicated on having a computer-—computer skills-—AND HAVING A CELL PHONE.

I DO NOT HAVE A CELL PHONE.

NEVER HAVE HAD A CELL PHONE

RAN A BUSINESS FOR 42 YEARS WITHOUT A CELL PHONE-—:LAND LINE & ANSWERING MACHINE WORKED FINE. 1980 to 2022.

NEVER INTEND TO HAVE A CELL PHONE......TOO EXPENSIVE.

[ridesthemiles]

THAT IS MORE CORRECT THAN YOU CAN KNOW