I got a lump sum award last year. After I paid my lawyer and the housing I had about 7k left. I got a lump sum award of $2200 back last September; but now that it is time for another lump sum payment I had called ss and they said there was a lump sum amount of $2200 coming and that it would be direct deposited. Now a week and a half later there is no record of the lump sum being paid out or any record of me calling ss or calling them about the lump sum not being direct deposited. Can ss deny me my lump sum after giving it to me?

Social Security can withhold a payment if new information came in that showed previously unknown reasons to do so (such as fraud), or if any other welfare agencies are still owed, such as Medicaid. We can't really sort out what you were awarded, how it was to be distributed and when, and why you may not have received what was supposedly scheduled. We don't know if your address and bank info have changed, or if there are any other variables. You paid a lawyer a hefty sum so ask him.

(I do know someone who claims that SS promised a direct deposit for something retroactive, that it hasn't been deposited, and that calls to the local SS are getting nowhere, so it's possible that this is not a rare problem.)