In a bureaucratic bombshell, the Social Security Administration has told longtime San Francisco AIDS activist Paul Aguilar to cough up over $200,000 in alleged overpaid disability benefits — a move that’s left the gay community furious and fearing for its elders.
Aguilar, 61, who’s been a frontline advocate for people living with AIDS and a familiar face at Pride events, said he’s followed the rules since 2005 when he began receiving disability payments after his AIDS diagnosis. “I have worked over the years but faithfully reported my earnings as I was instructed,” he said, citing his participation in California’s Working Disabled Program. That program allows disabled folks earning up to 250% of the federal poverty level to receive Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid.
But the feds now claim he should’ve stopped getting checks in 2013. According to the letter sent March 19, they want $201,729.10 back — or maybe it’s $182,177.20. The Social Security letter isn’t even sure. “I simply find it hard to believe that they could overlook an overpayment for 13 years,” Aguilar said, noting that some years he wasn’t even working. Meanwhile, he didn’t receive his March check, and his rent alone is $1,200.
Legal Fight Ahead
Aguilar is lawyering up and has reached out to LGBTQ+ legal groups and Democratic lawmakers including Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Adam Schiff. One of the legal experts he contacted, Ming Wong from the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said that overpayment cases often “highlight the importance of having protections in place,” including waivers and payment plans. But the Social Security Agency? Silent.
This is far from just a paperwork error. For many long-term HIV survivors, especially gay men aging with limited incomes, disability benefits are a lifeline. A surprise debt like this could mean eviction or worse. Aguilar averaged $2,200 a month last year — barely enough to scrape by in San Francisco. The SSA says benefits end if someone makes over $1,550 monthly, but Aguilar insists he wasn’t working for stretches during the years in question.
LGBTQ+ Community’s Safety Net at Risk
This move by the SSA is setting off alarms across the LGBTQ+ community, especially among older survivors of the AIDS crisis. Many fear this is part of a broader federal shift to gut disability protections or intimidate marginalized populations into submission. With rumors flying about Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency wanting to overhaul the Social Security system, some worry this is just the beginning of a bureaucratic bloodbath.
Aguilar’s case isn’t just a cold audit — it’s a slap in the face to a community that fought and bled through a pandemic the government once ignored. If this is how federal agencies treat a Pride Grand Marshal who served his community for decades, who’s next?
For now, Aguilar isn’t speaking to the SSA until he has legal backup. And the LGBTQ+ world is watching closely. Because this isn’t just about one activist — it’s about how the system treats the people who’ve been fighting for their lives since day one.