Representative Payee Confidential Complaint of Misuse of Benefits/Financial Exploitation
Disability Rights Connecticut (DRCT) monitors the activities of Social Security Representative Payees appointed by the Social Security Administration to manage the funds of Social Security Beneficiaries.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) reported that there are 6 million rep payees serving 8.3 million beneficiaries nationwide, responsible for $70 billion in SSA benefits, in 2018.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) pays benefits to certain eligible people, called beneficiaries. If a beneficiary cannot manage or direct the management of their SSA benefits, SSA appoints a representative payee (rep payee) to receive and manage the SSA benefits. A rep payee can be a person or an organization.
If you think your representative payee is misusing your SSI or SSDI benefits, please contact the Social Security Administration to report it. You can find your local Social Security Administration office by using this link: https://www.ssa.gov/locator.
Click here for the Social Security Monitoring Program Flyer
What is a Representative Payee?
If the Social Security Administration decides that a beneficiary cannot manage his or her benefits, they appoint a Representative Payee. The main responsibilities of a Representative Payee are to use the beneficiary’s Social Security monies to pay for current and future needs and to save benefits not needed to meet current needs. A Representative Payee can be a family member, friend or other “interested individual.” An organization can also be a Representative Payee.
What Is DRCT Doing As Part Of Its Representative Payee Monitoring Program?
DRCT will be responsible for conducting monitoring reviews of individual and organizational Representative Payees. DRCT staff will interview representative payees and review the finances to ensure the representative payees are following Social Security requirements. Each review will also include interviewing the beneficiaries to confirm that the Representative Payee is meeting their needs. The findings of each review will be reported to the Social Security Administration.
Does A DRCT Review Mean There Is A Problem With Representative Payee?
Not necessarily. The Social Security Administration (SSA) designed the program as a method of randomly checking on Representative Payees to ensure they are meeting the needs of the Beneficiary. DRCT staff, however, can make recommendations to SSA for monitoring reviews if they learn of a situation where a Representative Payee may not be needing Beneficiary needs.
What If I Know Of A Situation Where A Beneficiary’s Needs Are Not Being Met?
If you know of a situation where a Representative Payee may not be meeting the Beneficiary’s needs, you can contact DRCT to discuss it with one of the Social Security monitoring staff. They can be reached by calling (860) 297.4300 (local) or (800) 842.7303 (toll-free, in CT). Social Security Administration has to approve all reviews and therefore, DRCT cannot guarantee that it will review every situation.
Will DRCT Provide Any Other Services Under This Program?
In addition to the reviews, DRCT may be asked to recommend corrective action. Staff will also make referrals for outside services, assist the Representative Payee improve management of beneficiary funds, and provide education to Beneficiaries and representative payees.
Reach out if you have questions about the Social Security Monitoring Program. Call (860) 297-4300 (voice), (800) 842-7303 (toll-free CT), (860) 509-4992 (videophone), email us at info@disrightsct.org, or visit www.disrightsct.org.
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Note: This is a complaint to Disability Rights Connecticut and will assist us in potential investigations of rights violations. Although DRCT cannot investigate all complaints, the information may be used to identify trends or systemic issues.
