Representative payee program
Equip for Equality conducts performance reviews of representative payees, which is a person or organization that the Social Security Administration assigns to help a beneficiary spend their Social Security or SSI benefits.
What is the Representative Payee Program?
In Illinois, the Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018 directs Equip for Equality to conduct performance reviews of payees to determine if beneficiary funds are properly safeguarded and the beneficiaries’ needs are met. The Act also directs Equip for Equality to conduct outreach and educational trainings to ensure that payees understand their duties and responsibilities
How we can help
- Stop Abuse, Neglect, & Poor Quality Services
- Stop Abuse, Neglect, & Poor Quality Services
How do I ask for a review?
You can call Equip for Equality to ask us to “review” your payee by calling Lydia Sharp at 312-895-7302 or sending her an email at lydia@equipforequality.org. If we are able to do the review, we will see if your social security money is being used to meet your needs.
Performance reviews
Equip for Equality’s representative payee performance reviews include:
- An interview with the representative payee, both individual and organizational payees.
- A review of the representative payee’s financial records for a sample of beneficiaries served.
- Interviews of each beneficiary included in the review and visits to their homes, or other settings where the beneficiaries engage in activities during the day.
- Interviews with guardians and, where necessary, other third parties.
When conducting the reviews, an Equip for Equality monitor will look at budgets, ledgers, bank statements, collective bank account statements, bills, bank reconciliation records, receipts, canceled checks, rental agreements, and any other relevant documents.
After the review
If Equip for Equality’s review finds that the representative payee is not carrying out its duties, corrective action(s) may be needed for the payee to continue to manage the beneficiary’s money. Once all corrective actions are implemented, or if the review finds that no corrective action is needed, the payee will be notified that the review is complete.
Representative payee quick FAQs
How do I report fraud?
To report fraud, you can call SSA to report problems at 1-800-772-1213. If you think your payee is stealing your money, you should call SSA’s Office of Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or complete the form at: http://www.ssa.gov/fraudreport/oig/public_fraud_reporting/form.htm.
What is a representative payee?
A representative payee is a person or an organization that the Social Security Administration has allowed to help a beneficiary manage their benefits. A payee helps decide the best use for spending benefits on a beneficiary’s care and support including current and future needs. A payee keeps records and reports changes that may affect a beneficiary’s eligibility.
What is a beneficiary?
A beneficiary is a person who receives Social Security and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.
How does social security pick a representative payee?
Social Security tries to pick someone who knows the beneficiary and wants to help them. The payee should be someone who can see the beneficiary often and knows what their needs are. In most cases, someone who knows the beneficiary asks if he or she can be the beneficiary’s payee. It may be a family member, a friend, a legal guardian or a lawyer. Sometimes social service agencies, nursing homes, or other organizations offer to be the payee. If there is someone a beneficiary wants to have as their payee, they can tell a Social Security representative.
Resources
For Social Security Beneficiaries | For representative payees |
This web page is funded through a Social Security grant agreement. Although Social Security reviewed this web page for accuracy, it does not constitute an official Social Security communication. This resource material is intended as a guide for people with disabilities. Nothing written here shall be understood to be legal advice. For specific legal advice, an attorney should be consulted. This web page was created at U. S. taxpayer expense.
