FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: (202) 225-9263
April 25, 2000
No. SS-16
Congressman E. Clay Shaw, Jr., (R-FL), Chairman, Subcommittee on Social Security of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Social Security representative payees. The hearing will take place on Thursday, May 4, 2000, in room B-318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include representatives of the Social Security Administration (SSA), including Social Security's Inspector General, as well as organizations that serve as representative payees for beneficiaries. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.
BACKGROUND:
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits are distributed to more than 50 million Americans, including many determined to be unable to manage their own financial affairs. In such cases, SSA will work with the beneficiary and his or her family or other responsible individuals to locate a "representative payee," often called a "rep payee." Rep payees are individuals or organizations that have been approved and designated by SSA to receive a recipient's benefits directly from SSA on the recipient's behalf. The primary purpose of the rep payee is to safeguard a recipient's monthly benefits and ensure the money is spent on the beneficiary's needs. According to SSA, more than 6.5 million Social Security and SSI beneficiaries have rep payees.
SSA has a variety of systems in place to ensure the responsibility and trustworthiness of individuals and organizations that serve as rep payees. Despite such protections, in certain instances the systems have failed to prevent the misuse of benefit payments. Given the degree of responsibility and trust afforded rep payees, such breaches have resulted in significant harm to beneficiaries, and have led to concerted efforts to stem further abuse. Most recently, SSA submitted draft legislation to Congress on February 22, 2000, suggesting specific changes to improve the oversight and the effectiveness of the rep payee program.
In announcing the hearing, Chairman Shaw stated: "Social Security beneficiaries who depend on rep payees to handle their affairs are among the most vulnerable people Social Security serves. This hearing will help us assess Social Security's procedures to protect beneficiaries, how and why these procedures sometimes fall short, and ways to better protect beneficiaries in the future."
FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
The hearing will examine current eligibility requirements for rep payees, SSA's oversight systems, instances in which those systems failed to protect beneficiaries from fraud and abuse, and suggestions for improving beneficiary protections. Witnesses will review legislative proposals, including those made by SSA, for improving the rep payee program and its protections for beneficiaries.
DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:
Any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should submit six (6) single-spaced copies of their statement, along with an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect or MS Word format, with their name, address, and hearing date noted on a label, by the close of business, Thursday, May 18, 2000, to A.L. Singleton, Chief of Staff, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. If those filing written statements wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing, they may deliver 200 additional copies for this purpose to the Subcommittee on Social Security office, room B-316 Rayburn House Office Building, by close of business the day before the hearing.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:
Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
1. All statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted on an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect or MS Word format, typed in single space and may not exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.
2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
3. A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting written comments in response to a published request for comments by the Committee, must include on his statement or submission a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.
4. A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers where the witness or the designated representative may be reached. This supplemental sheet will not be included in the printed record.
The above restrictions and limitations apply only to material being submitted for printing. Statements and exhibits or supplementary material submitted solely for distribution to the Members, the press, and the public during the course of a public hearing may be submitted in other forms.
The
Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities.
If you are in need of special accommodations, please call 202-225-1721 or
202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event (four business days notice is
requested). Questions with regard to special accommodation needs in general
(including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats) may be
directed to the Committee as noted above.