To amend title II of the Social Security Act to provide that not more than 10 percent of a monthly benefit may be withheld on account of overpayments.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill amends Social Security Act section 204(a)(1) to limit how aggressively the Social Security Administration can recover overpayments from monthly title II benefits. If SSA paid a person more than the correct amount and the Commissioner does not have reason to believe fraud or similar fault caused the overpayment, the agency may not reduce the person's monthly benefit by more than 10 percent unless the individual asks for a higher recovery rate. The rule takes effect on enactment and applies to title II overpayments that are outstanding on or after that date.
Who Benefits and How
Social Security beneficiaries with non-fraud overpayments benefit because monthly withholding is capped at 10 percent. Older adults living on monthly benefits benefit from lower risk of sudden large benefit reductions. Disabled beneficiaries receiving title II benefits benefit if overpayment recovery becomes more gradual. Legal aid advocates benefit from a clear statutory cap to use in overpayment cases.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Social Security Administration must update recovery systems, notices, and workflows for non-fraud overpayments. The Social Security trust funds may recover overpaid amounts more slowly. SSA overpayment staff must determine whether fraud or similar fault is suspected before applying the 10 percent cap. Beneficiaries seeking faster repayment must affirmatively request a higher recovery rate.
Key Provisions
- Amends title II overpayment recovery to cap monthly withholding at 10 percent for non-fraud cases.
- Provides a beneficiary option to request a higher recovery rate.
- Applies the cap to overpayments outstanding on or after enactment.
- Limits the 10 percent cap to cases where the Commissioner does not have reason to believe fraud or similar fault occurred.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Caps Social Security title II benefit withholding for non-fraud overpayments at 10 percent of the monthly benefit unless the beneficiary requests a higher recovery rate, including for outstanding overpayments on enactment.
Key Policy Areas
Social Security, Benefits, Debt Collection
Primary Purpose
Caps Social Security title II benefit withholding for non-fraud overpayments at 10 percent of the monthly benefit unless the beneficiary requests a higher recovery rate, including for outstanding overpayments on enactment.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Social Security beneficiaries with non-fraud overpayments
- Older adults receiving title II benefits
- Disabled beneficiaries receiving title II benefits
- Legal aid advocates
Identified Costs
- Social Security Administration
- Social Security trust funds
- SSA overpayment staff
- Beneficiaries seeking faster repayment
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Evans of Pennsylvania (for himself, Ms. DeLauro, Ms. Lois …
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Older adults receiving title II benefits, Social Security beneficiaries with non-fraud overpayments
Social Security Administration, Social Security trust funds
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology