My aunt died, she and my mother n law both received several different checks VA, ss, etc and we're on account with my husband and i. After m...

Question

My aunt died, she and my mother n law both received several different checks VA, ss, etc and we're on account with my husband and i. After my aunt died my mother immediately reported her death to ss, VA to stop her checks. My mother got about the same amount and although her checks were more for several months she contributed it to an increase in benefits that they must have owed her. 2 years have passed since my aunts death and my husband gets a letter he owes 8000+ for money paid to my aunt into account (over a period of time ) after she died. My husband nor I know anything about this, don't know how to dispute it and fear my mom may have contributed it to small increases in her monthly check for a while. Can we dispute this? My mother is on fixed income and in fact used what she thought was an increase in her money for my aunts exorbant funeral/burial expenses. Don't know what to do. My husband is now sick himself with cancer and I'm working 3 jobs to provide for him and our daughter. My mother doesn't understand this and unfortunately none of us paid close attention to ther deposits, just help pay their bills. Help!

Answer

You really need an attorney, someone familiar with SS and VA, usually an Estate and Trusts attorney is knowledgeable about how to request a waiver. Also you may contact your congressional representative.