Senate Passes Social Security Beneficiaries Act

Representative payees, which AARP says are expected to grow “substantially in number as baby boomers receive their earned retirement benefits, play a critical role in serving the interests of vulnerable Social Security beneficiaries.”

The bill also does the following:

• “Lessens certain monitoring requirements” with respect to specified family members who are serving as representative payees.
• Requires the SSA to enter into agreements with each state for the purpose of sharing information to identify represented minor beneficiaries who are in foster care; and determine the appropriate representative payee for any represented minor beneficiary who has entered foster care, exited foster care, or changed foster care placement in a given month.
• The Government Accountability Office must report to specified congressional committees on certain issues related to represented minor beneficiaries in foster care.
• Modifies provisions related to overpayment liability with respect to a represented minor beneficiary in foster care.
• Requires the SSA to report to specified congressional committees on certain issues related to representative payment with respect to SSI and OASDI benefits.
• States that an individual who has been convicted of a felony, or of an attempt or a conspiracy to commit a felony, may not serve as a representative payee, and that an individual who has a representative payee may not also serve as a representative payee.

— Check out Bill Would Increase Social Security for Widows, Divorcees on ThinkAdvisor.