I WANT MY BENEFITS CONTINUED THROUGH THE HEARING, BUT WILL I HAVE TO PAY THEM BACK?
The answer is legally yes, but practically no. If you cannot afford to pay back the benefits you would be entitled to a waiver of the payments. Unless you have done something wrong, you are not at fault in requesting your benefits to continue until the hearing. The statute specifically authorizes you to do so. If you are not at fault, you only need show that it would be a financial hardship to pay it back. It is very rare to find a claimant who is so financially comfortable that Social Security benefits do not represent a significant part of their income. Very few would not have trouble paying back the disability benefits. Those who can afford to pay back the benefits if they lose will have to pay back the benefits.
