Quote:
Originally Posted by MMOB1
No, you're still not getting it.
There is no additional $500,000,000 cost. SSA is just giving the claimants the money that was due them to begin with.
The only thing that this has cost SSA is the $483k in attorney fees.
So, your original point that government ineptitude cost taxpayers a billion dollars - later corrected to only 1/2 billion dollars - in realty didn't even cost 1/2 million dollars.
I guess it isn't just government bureaucrats who make enormous errors.
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When it's money due you and you don't get it when you're supposed to, you get hurt. When you finally get it, it will be with interest (that should never have happened). Then their are the attorney fees.
Yes, it did cost the 1/2 Billion, and we don't know how much of the money wa "should have been paid" and how much is more-or-less punitive moneys in the settlement.
It should not have happened. People were harmed, Extra money was paid to hush it up. And the government agency could afford to drag it out forever, increasing costs at every step because there's no incentive to do anything than cover butts. Mistakes are rarely admitted, and all uf us who pay into SSA just lost a little more because of it.
The final additional costs to SSA? We know it's 1/2 million in legal fees paid to opposing counsel for this case alone. There's still the government legal costs (which is at least as much). Also, the "interest and penalties" which is unknown. And this is just one case I stumbled across. Not encouraging.....