Social Security Administration strips benefits from woman with Down Syndrome

She is no longer disabled. That is what the Social Security Administration has determined about this Ocala woman who has Down syndrome. That has not just cost her not to have any money, but also not to have her medical insurance for nine months. 9 Investigates, along with our Cox Media Group stations across the country and Health News have been investigating the failures of Social Security 9 Investigates. Shannon Butler joining us live in the studio with more on this story. It just seems hard to believe. Shannon, It is. Jennifer Groover was receiving Social Security since she was six years old because she has Down syndrome. But now, 38 years later, Social Security has taken those benefits away, her only income because they say there is no evidence or documentation right now saying that she has the disability at all. Jennifer Groover, is that your name? Yeah. Jennifer, your parents said you got up early today. Yeah. Yeah. 11:00 usually. Are you hungry? No, not yet. Did dad fix you lunch? I'll give myself. Jennifer Groover has lived with her parents her entire life, and most of it on Social Security. But a year ago, her benefits were stripped after the Social Security Administration said there was no evidence she had a disability. We got one letter that she needed to go to work. Yeah. They said we'll help her get a job and she can go to work. She can't barely walk. Her legs and feet are so bad. She's so full of arthritis and there's no way she could work. No she can't. She doesn't have the mentality to hold the job. This was the letter the family got in July of 2023, giving them ten days to respond. And if not, the SSA said it may have to make a quote finding of not disabled because of insufficient evidence. The notes from the Groover say they were unable to reach anyone and say they left 16 messages. And so you called Social Security and said what? I went down and showed them the letter and asked them to explain it to me. And of course they couldn't. But they just said, oh, oh, yeah, here's why you, you didn't. We, we sent you some paperwork to fill out so that we'd have the information and you didn't fill it out and send it in. That's why we, we canceled her benefits. I said, yeah, I sent them all in. And a few weeks later, her benefits stopped after the SSA decided, quote, she was no longer disabled. Knight Investigates told you that people all over the country were trying to get a hold of Social Security and had their calls go unanswered. The SSA is dealing with staffing shortages and underfunding, and it's making it difficult for them to keep up with customer service needs. In this case, like many others, Jennifer's benefits stopped, and for a year they've been fighting to get them back. In that year, they were evicted from their home and have struggled every month to pay their bills. We make just enough to pay our rent and have $38 left without her money or with her money. Money without her money. So $38 to pay for electric, food, gas, all of that. Yeah, everything. They stopped everything. Even stopped answering my phone calls. So the family says they did send in the records they had to the SSA, but after that they were told they needed something from the last year. The problem is they don't have those records because without Social Security, they don't get her Medicaid. So they have no insurance and cannot afford to take her to the doctor to get what the SSA now says they need that their husband some movement on her case. The Groovers tell us that Social Security wants them now to get a blood test to determine if Jennifer has that extra chromosome. That has not happened yet. We have reached out to the Social Security hoping we can get their issue settled. We will of course be following this one and keep you posted.