Lifestyle

Social Security Told a Michigan Grandfather He’d Been Overpaid and Would Lose His Benefits. Less Than a Month Later, the Agency Called Back: “I Told Her God Bless You”

By Erica Coleman · November 10, 2026

The letter said Dave Wilder owed Social Security $84,000. A second notice said his benefits would be cut off.

Wilder, who lives in Newaygo County in West Michigan, told his story to WZZM, the Grand Rapids station known as 13 ON YOUR SIDE, in November 2023. He had been on disability since 2012 while working part time, and he told reporter Jeremiah Brown he always worked within the limits and filed everything correctly. He had since moved to regular Social Security. Then he was told he had been paid $84,000 during the pandemic years when he should have been paid nothing.

“I got this letter saying they were going to cut me off entirely,” he said on camera.

His wife, Rose, described what it did to him. “He didn’t eat for almost two days. He was so depressed and scared,” she said.

Wilder said he was told that during COVID, the agency was not sending notifications or changing anything. That did not add up for him. “If I was making too much money, why did they keep paying me every month?” he asked. He said that if some months turned out to be over the limit, he would accept that: “I have to pay that back, I’m fine with that.”

The couple, who raised two children and have watched their grandkids grow, were given forms to say that repaying the money and losing his benefits would be a financial hardship. You can watch the station’s original report on YouTube.

The second beat came quickly. In a follow-up report published December 14, 2023, the station said that less than a month after the first story aired, the couple got a phone call from the Social Security Administration.

Dave said he did not know which way the call was going. Then the agent told him it had been determined there was no overpayment and he did not owe any repayment. “I told her God bless you and thank you,” he said.

“When he hung up, he couldn’t breathe for like, a minute, minute and a half,” Rose told the station. “He was just so overwhelmed with emotion.”

Dave said the explanation the agency gave him was that his yearly average was within the limits for hours worked. Even with the relief, he had a criticism. “They don’t seem to take into account the human element that they’re dealing with, people and emotions, and people that have worked their whole life,” he said.

His advice to anyone who gets a similar letter was direct. “Read all your paperwork, make sure you understand it thoroughly so you know what’s happening,” he said, adding that people in his spot are not alone and that help is out there.

The station reported that the agency said 1 million people received overpayment notices during the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years, and that it is required by law to collect overpayments. In a statement, the agency said each situation is unique, that people who disagree can appeal, and that there is no time limit for filing a waiver.

If you get an overpayment notice, the Social Security Administration’s own overpayment page lays out your choices.

Appeal if you think the agency got it wrong. The agency says an appeal is for people who believe they were not overpaid or that the amount is wrong.

Ask for a waiver if it was not your fault. If you cannot afford to repay and feel the error was not your fault or is unfair, you can request a waiver using Form SSA-632-BK, uploaded online, mailed, faxed or done at an appointment.

Watch the 30-day clock. The agency says it waits at least 30 days after sending a notice before collecting. If you ask for a waiver or appeal within 30 days, it will not collect until it decides. If you do nothing, it says it will automatically withhold 50 percent of your monthly benefit, or 10 percent of an SSI payment, until the overpayment is repaid.

Rose’s advice was the simplest. “You have to call in, you have to fight for your rights,” she said.

This article is for general information and is not legal or financial advice. Mr. Wilder’s account of his case comes from WZZM’s reports; the photo is illustrative and does not show him. This article was produced with the assistance of AI and fact-checked against the sources cited by LightWave Reports.