OOLOGAH, Okla. — Yvon Wuchevich depends on her Social Security disability check.
"I definitely rely on these services just to pay my rent and buy groceries," she said.
So, she expects each year to get a letter from the agency requesting information necessary to continue her benefits.
She showed 2 News past letters that were brief and courteous. However, Wuchevich feels this year's letter was different.
"Social Security has always spoken to me with dignity and care, always." She said, "This seemed aggressive, and it's asking questions that's never been asked by Social Security agents before, so it has concerning language — seems aggressive like I've done something wrong. I've always followed the rules. I've done nothing wrong."
She tells 2 News she's concerned about some of the questions in the letter, like asking for the names and addresses of non-medical personnel the government can check with about her disability as well as information concerning drugs.
"It's asking for specifically drug abuse information which has never been asked for before. I definitely find this year’s letter threatening,” Wuchevich said.
She notes this letter is three times longer than her previous annual review notices and indicates her services could be cut off permanently: "We may stop your benefits if you don't respond to this request or contact us by April 3rd, 2025."
Wuchevich began calling Social Security. She told 2 News she first tried to contact her case worker.
"It went to an automated voice thing that said this person is no longer available. Please contact the national help hotline. So, I don't know if my caseworker got fired during all these mass firings or not," she said.
Wuchevich told 2 News that she spent hours each day for five days calling the national help hotline, which referred her to phone numbers that put her on hold. The same happened when she called our local Social Security Office.
In desperation and fearful that she would lose her benefits, she contacted 2 News to see if we could get her help.
2 News reached out to Social Security for assistance on Wuchevich's behalf.
We learned the letter is a regular part of Social Security's“Continuing Disability Review,” which goes out to recipients usually every three, five, or seven years to ensure they are still disabled.
Social Security assured us that they will reach out to Wuchevich to address her concerns and assist her with the questionnaire.
The local office is also being asked to grant her an extension to complete the process.
When we passed along that information, Wuchevich said her relief was immeasurable.
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