The Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018, Section 103(b) Questionnaire

SSA pays monthly benefits to members of the public who qualify under the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program and who are eligible for the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Some claimants who qualify for monthly payments under these programs are unable to manage their benefit payments. When SSA deems program participants incapable of managing, or directing the management of their benefits, SSA sends the payments to a representative payee on the beneficiary’s behalf. The representative payee is a person or organization designated by SSA to manage OASDI or SSI payments to meet the individual’s basic needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter. To help ensure that appointed representatives are acting in the best interests of the claimants whom they represent, Section 103(b) of the Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act (SPSSBA), Pub. L. 115-165, requires SSA to assess the administrative feasibility of improving information sharing about claimants with representative payees, with State agencies that provide Adult Protective Services. Specifically, Section 103(b) of the SPSSBA asks us to evaluate the following: The assessment of an individual’s need for a representative payee in connection with benefits to which the individual is entitled under Title II or Title XVI of the Social Security Act; and Oversight of the individuals and organizations who are serving as representative payees. To conduct this evaluation, SSA created the Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018, Section 103(b) Questionnaire. The Questionnaire will assess the representative payee data available from each State and determine if the State is willing to share the data it collects. We will email this one-time questionnaire to State agencies or non-governmental entities that provide Adult Protective Services, and let them know that participation in the questionnaire is voluntary. We estimate we will receive one response per respondent, and one respondent per agency. We expect to complete this study by June 30, 2022, so we can submit the required report to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate in accordance with the SPSSBA. The Respondents are State agencies and non-governmental entities that provide Adult Protective Services to disability claimants under our OASDI and SSI programs.

The latest form for The Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018, Section 103(b) Questionnaire expires 2023-02-28 and can be found here.