Social Security Administration October 17, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We propose to amend our regulations on representative payment and on the administrative procedure for imposing penalties for false or misleading statements or withholding of information to reflect and implement certain provisions of the Social Security Protection Act of 2004 (SSPA), Public Law 108-203. The SSPA amends representative payment policies by providing additional safeguards for Social Security, Special Veterans and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries served by representative payees. These changes include additional disqualifying factors for representative payee applicants, additional requirements for non-governmental fee-for-service payees, authority to redirect delivery of benefit payments when a representative payee fails to provide required accountings, and authority to treat misused benefits as an overpayment to the representative payee. In addition, we propose to modify our rules to explain financial requirements for representative payees, and we also have made minor clarifying plain language changes. The SSPA also allows SSA to impose a penalty on any person who knowingly withholds information that is material for use in determining any right to or the amount of monthly benefits under titles II or XVI. The penalty is nonpayment for a specified number of months of benefits under title II that would otherwise be payable and ineligibility for the same period of time for cash benefits under title XVI (including State supplementary payments).