Social Security wrongly told disabled people and some seniors their benefits ended, causing alarm

The Social Security Administration last week wrongly informed some recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the federal program that provides financial assistance to disabled Americans and low-income senior citizens, that they were no longer receiving benefits. 

The agency's website informed some SSI recipients they are "currently not receiving payments," according to an April 7 letter from senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Mark Kelly of Arizona to Social Security Administration Acting Commissioner Lee Dudek. 

The payment history and all data about benefits for SSI recipients had also vanished, they wrote, adding that they received multiple reports from constituents about the error.