10 Connects viewer wonders why her Social Security payment was short

Seminole, Florida - 40-year-old Cindy Chavez is legally disabled. She's unable to work after a car accident five years ago. Her only source of income is Social Security.

"It's direct deposited at the bank and I get it on the 3^rd of every single month," said Chavez.

But when Chavez checked her bank account this month, she couldn't believe it. November's Social Security payment was $566. That's $289 less than the $855 check she usually receives.

"I was upset, I was shocked, I was angry," said Chavez.

And she was blindsided, because there was no advance notice.

"I never received anything telling me that there was going to be a change like this that money was going to be missing from my account. I had no idea," said Chavez.

Chavez also didn't know why it happened. Someone with Social Security told her it might have something to do with her health insurance. Her monthly Medicaid payment from the State of Florida, goes directly to pay her Medicare premium.

"It had to do with the insurance, that somebody wasn't paying anymore," said Chavez.

We checked with both Social Security and the state Medicaid system to get to the bottom of this.

Medicaid spokesman Terry Field says it was a processing error. Medicaid should have paid Chavez's Medicare premium and she should have received her usual social security check.

But Chavez worries how she'll make ends meet until the mistake is corrected.

"Do I pay my rent or do I pay my credit card bills? Do I eat? Do I pay for gas? I don't know," said Chavez.

Medicaid spokesman Terry Field says they're trying to get Chavez some help to compensate for the deduction in her Social Security payment. But he says they're unable to simply write her a check for the difference.

We wondered if this happened to others, but the Medicaid spokesman says it appears to be an isolated case.