In the context of Social Security disability benefits, the term double dipping refers to instances when individuals are receiving an income that exceeds SSD thresholds, while at the same time receiving disability benefits. Social Security double-dipping is considered to be a type of fraud and it is punishable in criminal court.
Recently, the Government Accountability Office has ramped up its policing and investigation of potential cases of Social Security disability fraud, so it is important that all SSD recipients be certain that they are not unintentionally violating the law in this regard. The way the GAO identifies suspected offenders is by looking up federal payroll information on SSD benefits recipients. If the numbers do not match up, then the GAO may target a suspected individual in a detailed investigation that could lead to criminal allegations.
According to some statistics, the Social Security Administration has unintentionally paid $142 billion in unnecessary benefits — a mistake that threatens the very solvency of this vital government assistance program. The GAO reports that about 1,500 federal employees were inappropriately receiving about $1.7 million in benefits monthly, and this has inspired a considerable amount of public backlash and criticism of the SSA’s ability to appropriately award benefits, and its ability to police whether those benefits are being correctly dispensed.
If you are worried that you are receiving SSA benefits inappropriately, you may want to discuss your situation with a Minneapolis Social Security benefits attorney to be sure that you are not unintentionally violating the law. A quick review of your finances by an attorney experienced in these matters will be enough to tell you where you stand.
