In March 2024, O’Malley said the agency would stop “ that clawback cruelty ” of intercepting 100% of a beneficiary’s monthly check if they fail to respond to a demand for repayment. Instead, the agency would default to withholding 10% of the recipient’s monthly benefits, he said.

In one of his first major decisions after his January 2025 inauguration, President Donald Trump appointed Elon Musk to lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a temporary organization established to recommend cost-cutting measures and improve federal efficiency,

The Social Security Administration is backing off its plan to cut off many beneficiaries’ monthly benefit payments to claw back sums they were allegedly overpaid. Instead, it will default to withholding half.

The Social Security Administration has announced a new digital feature that will help account holders who may have forgotten their social security number or lost their physical card.