Consumer advisory: Your benefits are protected from garnishment

Older Americans, like many of their younger counterparts, increasingly have debts in collection. Over one-third of the complaints that older consumers submit to us are related to debt collection. In some of these complaints, consumers told us that debt collectors threatened to garnish their benefits from Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and VA benefits, even though these funds usually can’t be garnished.