Advocating for Cece: When Common Sense is Not Enough

“Cece” was at a loss for how to move forward. The Social Security Administration (SSA) refused to pay her benefits, claiming that she was incarcerated. This was simply not true. Not only had Cece provided a letter from the San Francisco Sheriff confirming that she was not incarcerated, she had also visited the Social Security office in person at least three times.
 
Cece had been relying on her Supplemental Security Income to support herself. When she learned that she could qualify for different benefits due to the death of her spouse, she applied for Title II Survivor Benefits, which would increase her monthly payments. When her application for the new benefits was approved, her previous benefits ceased. But because the SSA falsely believed she was in prison, they refused to make any payments. Without income, Cece could not afford to cover her basic necessities and fell several months behind on her rent.

Staff Attorney Delaney Nevius immediately stepped in. They helped Cece apply for emergency SSI benefits so she could receive immediate support and pay off some of her back rent, submitted a letter to the SSA office, attended multiple appointments with Cece, and had at least 12 phone calls with SSA representatives within a six-week period. Delaney also filed a congressional inquiry with the hopes that it would resolve the issue. Multiple workers at the SSA office shared that they recognized the absurdity of the situation, but said their hands were tied: Cece just needed to wait. One employee admitted that processing changes had become very challenging because of budget cuts over the last year.
 
After weeks of relentless advocacy, the SSA office finally rectified the situation and Cece’s benefits were reinstated, effective as of May 2026. Cece also received a back payment of $20,500 and was able to become current on her rent. Plus, she is now eligible for Medicare because she is finally receiving her Title II Survivor Benefits.

It shouldn’t take this much advocacy just to survive—but we are glad to be there when it does.

Last year, ALRP helped 129 clients with a legal matter related to their government benefits. We are grateful to our donors for making this work possible.