Jennifer and her father contacted Disability Rights California’s Office of Clients’ Rights Advocates (OCRA) when Social Security told Jennifer her Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefit would end.

Jennifer was no longer working because of her disability, but Social Security decided Jennifer stopped qualifying for SSDI 7 years ago because they thought she stopped being disabled. Social Security stopped paying Jennifer her SSDI and said she had an overpayment of over $97,000. They demanded Jennifer repay the money in 30 days.

OCRA helped Jennifer file an appeal and contacted Jennifer’s former employer to gather more information about her earnings and work environment. OCRA then provided information about Jennifer’s work subsidy and earnings to Social Security.

Due to this advocacy, Social Security then reversed their decision and acknowledged that Jennifer’s disability never ended. They also removed the $97,000 overpayment from her account, gave her a back-payment of over $8,000, and reinstated her monthly SSDI benefit payment.