TREYNOR, Iowa (KMTV) — A Treynor, Iowa, man who faced a demand from the Social Security Administration to repay benefits he received 30 years ago — after losing his only parent at age 17 — has had that debt waived.
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Christopher Storm requested the government reconsider the roughly $10,000 it said he owed but did not expect he request to succeed.
"Honestly (I) just settled into the idea that I would just give them permission to just take out tax returns for the next couple of years to get it paid off and didn't really expect to receive the waiver, honestly," Storm said.
Then, on Father's Day, he opened his mail" "And that's when we received a letter stating that they were granting the waiver."
The agency determined the overpayment was not his fault and that repaying it would create a hardship.
KMTV first reported on Storm's case in May. More than half a million people viewed the originaly story and people across the country with similar stories sent messages to the the the station newsroom.
"It seems like every overpayment has a story behind it and a lot of times a heartbreaking story," Storm said.
Storm received the payments, for a year, a survivor benefits when his dad died from cancer.
"It was hard, it was devastating. My father was a really good man," he said.
After the first story aired, Storm — who grew up in Texas — said he was contacted by family members he didn't know.
"I actually was able to reconnect with some family on my father's side," he said. "And I actually discovered that I have a family member here in town in the small town of Treynor that I didn't even know I had."
Storm said the experience also taught him the importance of advocating for himself. When asked if he had advice for others facing a similar situation, he had a straightforward answer.
"Fill out the paperwork," Storm said.
Storm said he is grateful to everyone who tried to help and who shared their stories.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
