Ruthann Pickerd of Butler says an SSA overpayment letter set a Friday deadline that she cannot meet.
BUTLER, PA — A Butler County widow says the Social Security Administration has told her to return $63,000 in disability benefits by Friday, Dec. 5, after the agency determined she was overpaid. Ruthann Pickerd, a former Veterans Affairs nurse, says the abrupt demand has already halted her medical treatments and put her family at risk.
Pickerd’s case highlights continuing fallout from Social Security overpayment notices that have reached beneficiaries nationwide. She said her disability checks stopped in February after the agency flagged her account, and she later received a notice setting this week’s deadline. The SSA did not answer questions about the timing or the calculation of the alleged debt. A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly said the congressman’s office has been in contact with Pickerd and is assisting, while noting the office does not comment on individual case details. The looming repayment date underscores the stakes for households that depend on monthly checks, especially during the holiday season.
Pickerd qualified for Social Security Disability in 2021 after a rare autoimmune disease forced her to end a 30-year nursing career with the VA. She said she applied for a waiver shortly after her payments were stopped in February, then waited months for a response. “I got a letter from the SSA, 17 months later, saying we received your request for a waiver,” she said, adding that the delay left her uncertain about basic bills and her health. The letter that arrived this fall set a repayment demand of $63,000 and a deadline of Friday. “Now, right before the holidays, they decide we want our money,” Pickerd said. She told Channel 11 that she cannot resume her infusion treatments and fears the debt notice will trigger bank levies or the loss of her remaining benefits.
According to Pickerd, the dispute centers on how the agency counted support tied to her adult son’s care. She said her son, who has disabilities, receives services through a Medicaid waiver, and the SSA told her it treated that waiver as her income, making her ineligible for disability benefits. Pickerd disputes that conclusion and says she has not worked since her diagnosis. She described the letter’s language as threatening fines, jail time or direct withdrawals from her bank account if the amount is not repaid, though she emphasized she has no way to raise the money by the deadline. The SSA did not provide an explanation for the 17-month lag between her waiver filing and the agency’s acknowledgment, and it did not address whether any collection efforts would begin immediately after the stated due date.
Pickerd said she lost her husband, a Vietnam veteran, and now maintains their home on a fixed income. She told reporters that she has already cut back on utilities while she waits for clarity. “If you start taking the money that I do get: what’s going to be first? My electric, my heat?” she said. The family’s concerns extend to her son’s stability. “To put him in a group home would probably kill me,” she added. The notice arrived weeks before Christmas, she said, intensifying pressure on a household already coping with health costs and the loss of her disability checks. Friends and neighbors in Butler have offered support, but she said the amount the government is seeking dwarfs what anyone around her can provide.
Overpayments are not uncommon in federal benefit programs, but beneficiaries often dispute the calculations or the speed of collections. Pickerd said she requested a waiver and provided documentation, hoping the agency would fix what she believes is an error and restore her checks. Instead, she said, the response she finally received this fall only confirmed the debt and demanded repayment. The SSA declined to comment on the status of her case or whether the office that handled her file is reviewing her appeal anew. Kelly’s office said it continues to help constituents navigate federal agencies but would not describe any steps specific to Pickerd. As of Wednesday, no hearing or public briefing had been scheduled in her case, and Pickerd said she had not been given a detailed accounting showing how the $63,000 figure was calculated.
Pickerd’s immediate worry is time. The deadline is Friday, two days away, and she said every option presented so far—monthly withholding, a lump sum, or bank offset—would still leave her without enough cash to cover prescriptions and utilities. She said the suspension of disability checks since February forced her to stop infusions for her autoimmune disease and to postpone other care. Standing outside her Butler home, she described a quiet routine shaped by doctor visits and paperwork. “I’ve been sitting on eggshells for two years,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what happens to you or your son; we just want our money.” Neighbors said they are watching for any update, while Pickerd said she is saving every piece of mail and documenting phone calls in case a formal review moves forward.
As of Wednesday evening, Pickerd said she had received no written extension beyond Friday, Dec. 5. The SSA has not provided a new timetable for reviewing her file or for reconsidering how her son’s Medicaid waiver was counted. Kelly’s office said it remains in touch with her, and Pickerd said she will keep pursuing an administrative resolution while trying to maintain care for her son. She said she is bracing for another letter—either a billing notice or a decision—while hoping for an outcome that will restore her treatment and stabilize her household entering winter.
Author note: Last updated December 3, 2025.