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POA Is Not Enough for Social Security

Column distributed by Hearst Connecticut Media Group.

Links to resources referenced:

  • AARP Social Security FAQs: “What is a representative payee?” 
    • https://www.aarp.org/social-security/faq/representative-payee/
      • Related column excerpt:
        • “A representative payee is ‘a person or entity appointed by Social Security to manage benefit payments for someone unable to do so on their own -- for example, a minor child, a person with a severe disability, or a retiree suffering from advanced dementia,’ writes Andy Markowitz in the AARP blog ‘What is a representative payee?’”
  • Social Security: FAQs for Beneficiaries Who Have a Representative Payee
    • https://www.ssa.gov/payee/faqbene.htm?tl=9%2C10%2C11  
      • Related column excerpt:
        • “What does a payee do? According to the SSA’s ‘FAQs for Beneficiaries Who Have a Representative Payee’ webpage, ‘Your representative payee must use your benefits to pay for your needs. These could include payment for food, shelter, clothes, medical care and personal comfort items. Also, your representative payee must tell SSA of events that could change the amount of, or affect your right to receive, benefits.’”
  • Social Security: When People Need Help Managing Their Money
    • https://www.ssa.gov/payee/  
      • Related column excerpt:
        • “Payees ‘are responsible for keeping records of how the payments are spent or saved, and making all records available for review if requested by SSA,’ the SSA webpage ‘When People Need Help Managing Their Money’ states. Payees may receive an annual Representative Payee Report, in which they must account for the benefit payments received. In addition, the SSA can authorize an ‘educational visit and payee review.’ See the SSA webpage ‘Representative Payee Site Reviews’ for more information.”
  • Social Security: Representative Payee Site Reviews conducted by Protection and Advocacy System
    • https://www.ssa.gov/payee/reviews_by_Protection_and_Advocacy.htm
      • Related column excerpt:
        • “Payees ‘are responsible for keeping records of how the payments are spent or saved, and making all records available for review if requested by SSA,’ the SSA webpage ‘When People Need Help Managing Their Money’ states. Payees may receive an annual Representative Payee Report, in which they must account for the benefit payments received. In addition, the SSA can authorize an ‘educational visit and payee review.’ See the SSA webpage ‘Representative Payee Site Reviews’ for more information.”
  • Social Security: Help Us Find the Right Payee for You
    • https://www.ssa.gov/payee/advance_designation.htm  
      • Related column excerpt:
        • “Then, if the need arises at some point, the designees will be evaluated by the SSA to ‘determine their suitability.’ Ultimately, the SSA makes the final choice. You can submit your advance designation request when you apply for SSA benefits or if you are already receiving benefits.”
  • Social Security: Guide for Organizational Representative Payees
  • Social Security: A Guide for Representative Payees
  • Social Security: Beneficiary Ledger
  • Social Security: Annual Statistical Supplement, 2024
    • https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2024/5l.pdf  
      • Related column excerpt:
        • “The SSA Annual Statistical Supplement 2024 indicated that nearly 4.7 million beneficiaries (out of a total of 67 million) had a representative payee, with 3.4 million being children under the age of 18. Of the 50 million retired workers, more than 500,000 had one.”