A bill to make the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) representative payee program stronger was introduced by Reps. Sam Johnson (R-TX) and John Larson (D-CT).
The Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2017 (H.R. 4547) is designed to make sure that representative payees are serving the best interest of beneficiaries. Representative payees are family or friends that are designated to manage SSA benefits in cases where the beneficiary is unable to do so.
“The Social Security Administration has a big responsibility to make sure Americans who need help managing their benefits get it,” Johnson said. “But the program doesn’t always work the way it should. Too often, we hear stories about representative payees who take advantage of those they are supposed to help. Ranking Member Larson and I worked together on this legislation to strengthen the representative payee program so that it better protects beneficiaries and reduces burdensome government paperwork that rarely provides any real value for families. Too many Americans are counting on the Social Security Administration to get this right.”
The bill strengthens oversight by increasing the number of performance reviews of payees. It also improves the effectiveness of the reviews by the requiring the Protection and Advocacy group in each state to handle the reviews on behalf of the SSA.
Further, it allows beneficiaries to designate their preferred payee before they need one, increases information sharing between the SSA and child welfare agencies, directs SSA to study how better to coordinate with Adult Protective Services agencies and with state guardianship courts, and bans people from serving as payees that have certain criminal convictions. Also, it makes sure that individuals don’t serve as payees for multiple people.
“It was once said that the moral test of any government is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens – children, seniors, and those with severe disabilities,” Larson said. “This bill is a statement from the chairman and the ranking member of the Social Security Subcommittee that Congress is committed to protecting those beneficiaries, such as seniors, children, and disabled adults, who have representative payees. Today, we are proud to introduce this bill that will better safeguard those most in need of protection, including nearly 4 million children, by strengthening the selection and monitoring of payees, while reducing administrative burdens on families caring for loved ones.”