The Disturbing Trend Of People Losing Social Security Benefits To Student Debt

By Danielle Douglas-Gabriel - Reporter, Washington Post

To recoup student-loan debt, the government is leaving people who rely on Social Security with benefits that fall below federal poverty guidelines, the Government Accountability Office said Tuesday.
The number of older Americans defaulting on education loans has steadily increased in recent decades, as many have returned to college or co-signed loans for family members. Unpaid debt has resulted in the government garnishing the benefits of 114,000 people age 50 and older in the past year, more than half of which were receiving Social Security disability rather than retirement income, the GAO report said.