It won’t come as any surprise to learn that taking care of family, especially older family members, is something that millions of Americans do every day. Whether it’s a helping hand with finances or health, the “sandwich” generation has taken on the responsibility of helping both older and younger family members.
Key Points
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This Redditor was immediately worried when the Social Security Administration shut down their sibling’s account.
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There was no fix when they called up to verify their sibling’s information, so they had to set an in-person appointment.
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While this was easily fixed in person, it’s a good lesson to keep all of your important documents close at hand.
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For one Redditor, taking care of an adult sibling who received a life-altering injury is no walk in the park. Posting in r/SocialSecurity, they find themselves in some trouble after discovering that their disabled sibling recently had their Social Security account blocked and needs to figure out what to do next.
Social Security Block
What’s really alarming this Redditor, who takes care of an older sibling with a brain injury, is that the sibling’s Social Security status was blocked without any warning. This immediately prompted them to call their local Social Security office, who requested information directly from the original birth certificate. Unfortunately, the Social Security office was unable to verify the Redditor’s responses, leaving the Redditor “stunned,” in their own words.
The next step will be to meet with the Social Security office, but the Redditor is curious to know if anyone else has been in this position. The hope is that this is an easy fix in person when they validate all of the right responses and have the original documentation.
This Isn’t Uncommon
A quick glance through the comments in the Reddit post, and it’s pretty clear this isn’t an uncommon scenario. One Redditor responds that Social Security had declared them dead a few years ago, leaving them to clean up the mess. This resulted in credit cards freezing along with checking accounts, and even their debit card being denied at a grocery store.
One big concern is that this might have been an attempt to block Social Security Disability payments on a wider scale. Knowing that there is some movement inside DOGE to examine who is receiving Social Security, the Redditor’s primary concern was that this wasn’t just an error, but an intentional act.
The good news is that this situation was indeed resolved once he met with the local Social Security Office. As soon as he presented the Social Security birth certificate to the office, they were able to “fix” whatever issue had frozen the account. The account was then unblocked, and the Redditor highlights how this was all very simple in the end, but that it’s understandably concerning for anyone reliant on this money.
How to Handle Yourself
If you find yourself in a similar situation, there are a few different steps you should take to make sure you are able to rectify your own situation. First and foremost, like this Redditor, is to keep all of the necessary documents in one place. Whether this is in a safe place at home, a physical safe, or even a safety deposit box, keep it somewhere you know it’ll be protected. Having the original birth certificate was certainly a good move, although in many cases, a copy can be sufficient.
Additionally, it’s helpful to have any necessary medical records on hand in case there is a question about the sibling’s disability status. This would have been great to make the case that the brother indeed requires disability payments to live on and receive, as indicated by Social Security policy.
Separately, you also want to ensure that you document everything from conversations with the Social Security Administration and/or a local office. It will be great to have records to refer back to, so you can verify exactly what you need to provide, update, or replace, ensuring no payment stoppage in the future.
In the event you can’t find a simple and easy resolution with the administration, as this Redditor did, consider receiving legal counsel. This should be and is hopefully a drastic last step, but sometimes it’s a necessary one if all other attempts at resolving a situation fail.
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