September 01st, 2014

Janis Balusek, of Tyler, Texas, has always paid her taxes and has no criminal record. Janis pays more taxes during the year than she has to, so she gets a decent refund every year. She filed for a refund as usual and waited for her return but was unsure why it was so low... over $1000 lower! No explanation was given. She first called her accountant, and then the Treasury Department, which in turn told her to contact the Social Security Administration, to see why her refund was so low.
The government informed her that in 1975, they mistakenly paid her family (mother) too much money and that now Janis had to pay it... but really, it had already been taken from her! In 1975 she was just a kid! She never received any money personally, and now she has to pay for the government's mistake?! NO!
Janis had to hire a lawyer, Joe Thigpen, who said that this is becoming more widespread... across the country. The government is going back many years to try to steal - I mean collect - from government mistakes! But how can the government force someone to pay an overpayment that dates back from when they were a child?! Well, it's happening! The Social Security Administration said that they have asked the Treasury Department to stop collecting debts 10 years and older. But what's being done about it? Where's the communication? Bad communication leads to bad government!

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