Collier County couple says FEMA garnished Social Security over money never received

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — A Collier County couple says FEMA denied their Hurricane Milton claims and then started garnishing their Social Security checks for money they say they never received.

Marilee Ryan submitted more than $60,000 in claims to rebuild her mobile home after it took severe damage from Hurricane Milton.

FEMA denied those claims, but a few months later, the agency came calling for money, Ryan says, she never received.

"You get to be 83 and 73, and you want to retire, and this is how I have to live because you can't get the help you need," Ryan said. "You depend on your government, and they don't come through for you."

Nearly two years after Hurricane Milton caused extensive damage to Ryan's home, she still sees the scars everywhere.

"We just taped (the air conditioning unit) up with duct tape," she said. "Because the window was like half out."

She and her husband evacuated before the storm hit. They couldn't return for more than a week.

Soon after, Ryan says a FEMA adjuster surveyed the destruction, totaling $61,000.

"He said, 'You should have no problem. This should go right through,'" Ryan said. "He signed off on it, and after that, that's when all the problems started."

In March of last year, Ryan received a denial letter from FEMA. She appealed the denial weeks later, but says she was met with silence.

"Whatever we submitted, they denied it," she said.

Then, in August of last year, the Ryans received a letter from FEMA saying they owed $9,778.75.

"All I have are the denial letters," Ryan said. "And then the letter that says, 'We paid you, pay us back.' We have no idea."

The battle didn't end there. Despite her appeals, Ryan says that in May of this year, her debt from FEMA was passed on to collections, and now her Social Security checks are being garnished.

"I guess it's about $200 a month," Ryan said. "And that's my only income. I only have Social Security. We're retired. We just live on social security."

WINK Investigates Reporter Ryan Kruger emailed FEMA to see why the Ryans' Social Security checks were being garnished if they never received money from the agency.

A spokesperson said they wouldn't discuss an individual's claims. Meanwhile, Ryan's Social Security checks are still being garnished.

Ryan says she has appealed FEMA's decisions, but every month, her Social Security checks come back smaller — all to pay back money, she says, she never received.

"Is there a direct deposit? Is there an email? Is there a canceled check? Is there some sort of proof that you sent this money?" Ryan said. "And they never answered."

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