When Fira, an impoverished 85-year-old Holocaust survivor received the ZRBG reassessment letter in October last year, she went to the German consulate planning to reject the payment. She wanted no more trouble with the Social Security Administration, then deducting 10% of her monthly SSI checks because they erroneously counted her earlier ZRBG and Article 2 payments as income. The German Consulate contacted Bet Tzedek’s Holocaust Survivors Services team. Nicholas Levenhagen and Loni Kaye prepared the case for placement with Munger, Tolles & Olson’s Justin Hellman. They provided him with the new SSI Pro Bono Manuals and the new ZRBG POMS sections (amended because of BT’s advocacy). Once he presented Fira’s case, the SSA worker eliminated the overpayment. All funds withheld will be returned to Fira and she is pursuing the ZRBG reassessment.
