§1007. Representative payees

(a) In general

If the Commissioner of Social Security determines that the interest of any qualified individual under this subchapter would be served thereby, payment of the qualified individual's benefit under this subchapter may be made, regardless of the legal competency or incompetency of the qualified individual, either directly to the qualified individual, or for his or her benefit, to another person (the meaning of which term, for purposes of this section, includes an organization) with respect to whom the requirements of subsection (b) of this section have been met (in this section referred to as the qualified individual's "representative payee"). If the Commissioner of Social Security determines that a representative payee has misused any benefit paid to the representative payee pursuant to this section, 405(j) of this title, or section 1383(a)(2) of this title, the Commissioner of Social Security shall promptly revoke the person's designation as the qualified individual's representative payee under this subsection, and shall make payment to an alternative representative payee or, if the interest of the qualified individual under this subchapter would be served thereby, to the qualified individual.

(b) Examination of fitness of prospective representative payee

(1) Any determination under subsection (a) of this section to pay the benefits of a qualified individual to a representative payee shall be made on the basis of-

(A) an investigation by the Commissioner of Social Security of the person to serve as representative payee, which shall be conducted in advance of the determination and shall, to the extent practicable, include a face-to-face interview with the person (or, in the case of an organization, a representative of the organization); and

(B) adequate evidence that the arrangement is in the interest of the qualified individual.

(2) As part of the investigation referred to in paragraph (1), the Commissioner of Social Security shall-

(A) require the person being investigated to submit documented proof of the identity of the person;

(B) in the case of a person who has a social security account number issued for purposes of the program under subchapter II of this chapter or an employer identification number issued for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, verify the number;

(C) determine whether the person has been convicted of a violation of section 408, 1011, or 1383a of this title; and

(D) determine whether payment of benefits to the person in the capacity as representative payee has been revoked or terminated pursuant to this section, section 405(j) of this title, or section 1383(a)(2)(A)(iii) of this title by reason of misuse of funds paid as benefits under this subchapter, subchapter II, or XVI of this chapter, respectively.

(c) Requirement for maintaining lists of undesirable payees

The Commissioner of Social Security shall establish and maintain lists which shall be updated periodically and which shall be in a form that renders such lists available to the servicing offices of the Social Security Administration. The lists shall consist of-

(1) the names and (if issued) social security account numbers or employer identification numbers of all persons with respect to whom, in the capacity of representative payee, the payment of benefits has been revoked or terminated under this section, section 405(j) of this title, or section 1383(a)(2)(A)(iii) of this title by reason of misuse of funds paid as benefits under this subchapter, subchapter II, or XVI of this chapter, respectively; and

(2) the names and (if issued) social security account numbers or employer identification numbers of all persons who have been convicted of a violation of section 408, 1011, or 1383a of this title.

(d) Persons ineligible to serve as representative payees

(1) In general

The benefits of a qualified individual may not be paid to any other person pursuant to this section if-

(A) the person has been convicted of a violation of section 408, 1011, or 1383a of this title;

(B) except as provided in paragraph (2), payment of benefits to the person in the capacity of representative payee has been revoked or terminated under this section, section 405(j) of this title, or section 1383(a)(2)(A)(ii) ¹ of this title by reason of misuse of funds paid as benefits under this subchapter, subchapter II, or subchapter XVI of this chapter, respectively; or

(C) except as provided in paragraph (2)(B), the person is a creditor of the qualified individual and provides the qualified individual with goods or services for consideration.

(2) Exemptions

(A) The Commissioner of Social Security may prescribe circumstances under which the Commissioner of Social Security may grant an exemption from paragraph (1) to any person on a case-by-case basis if the exemption is in the best interest of the qualified individual whose benefits would be paid to the person pursuant to this section.

(B) Paragraph (1)(C) shall not apply with respect to any person who is a creditor referred to in such paragraph if the creditor is-

(i) a relative of the qualified individual and the relative resides in the same household as the qualified individual;

(ii) a legal guardian or legal representative of the individual;

(iii) a facility that is licensed or certified as a care facility under the law of the political jurisdiction in which the qualified individual resides;

(iv) a person who is an administrator, owner, or employee of a facility referred to in clause (iii), if the qualified individual resides in the facility, and the payment to the facility or the person is made only after the Commissioner of Social Security has made a good faith effort to locate an alternative representative payee to whom payment would serve the best interests of the qualified individual; or

(v) a person who is determined by the Commissioner of Social Security, on the basis of written findings and pursuant to procedures prescribed by the Commissioner of Social Security, to be acceptable to serve as a representative payee.

(C) The procedures referred to in subparagraph (B)(v) shall require the person who will serve as representative payee to establish, to the satisfaction of the Commissioner of Social Security, that-

(i) the person poses no risk to the qualified individual;

(ii) the financial relationship of the person to the qualified individual poses no substantial conflict of interest; and

(iii) no other more suitable representative payee can be found.

(e) Deferral of payment pending appointment of representative payee

(1) In general

Subject to paragraph (2), if the Commissioner of Social Security makes a determination described in the first sentence of subsection (a) of this section with respect to any qualified individual's benefit and determines that direct payment of the benefit to the qualified individual would cause substantial harm to the qualified individual, the Commissioner of Social Security may defer (in the case of initial entitlement) or suspend (in the case of existing entitlement) direct payment of the benefit to the qualified individual, until such time as the selection of a representative payee is made pursuant to this section.

(2) Time limitation

(A) In general

Except as provided in subparagraph (B), any deferral or suspension of direct payment of a benefit pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be for a period of not more than 1 month.

(B) Exception in the case of incompetency

Subparagraph (A) shall not apply in any case in which the qualified individual is, as of the date of the Commissioner of Social Security's determination, legally incompetent under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the individual resides.

(3) Payment of retroactive benefits

Payment of any benefits which are deferred or suspended pending the selection of a representative payee shall be made to the qualified individual or the representative payee as a single sum or over such period of time as the Commissioner of Social Security determines is in the best interest of the qualified individual.

(f) Hearing

Any qualified individual who is dissatisfied with a determination by the Commissioner of Social Security to make payment of the qualified individual's benefit to a representative payee under subsection (a) of this section or with the designation of a particular person to serve as representative payee shall be entitled to a hearing by the Commissioner of Social Security to the same extent as is provided in section 1009(a) of this title, and to judicial review of the Commissioner of Social Security's final decision as is provided in section 1009(b) of this title.

(g) Notice requirements

(1) In general

In advance, to the extent practicable, of the payment of a qualified individual's benefit to a representative payee under subsection (a) of this section, the Commissioner of Social Security shall provide written notice of the Commissioner's initial determination to so make the payment. The notice shall be provided to the qualified individual, except that, if the qualified individual is legally incompetent, then the notice shall be provided solely to the legal guardian or legal representative of the qualified individual.

(2) Specific requirements

Any notice required by paragraph (1) shall be clearly written in language that is easily understandable to the reader, shall identify the person to be designated as the qualified individual's representative payee, and shall explain to the reader the right under subsection (f) of this section of the qualified individual or of the qualified individual's legal guardian or legal representative-

(A) to appeal a determination that a representative payee is necessary for the qualified individual;

(B) to appeal the designation of a particular person to serve as the representative payee of the qualified individual; and

(C) to review the evidence upon which the designation is based and to submit additional evidence.

(h) Accountability monitoring

(1) In general

In any case where payment under this subchapter is made to a person other than the qualified individual entitled to the payment, the Commissioner of Social Security shall establish a system of accountability monitoring under which the person shall report not less often than annually with respect to the use of the payments. The Commissioner of Social Security shall establish and implement statistically valid procedures for reviewing the reports in order to identify instances in which persons are not properly using the payments.

(2) Special reports

Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Commissioner of Social Security may require a report at any time from any person receiving payments on behalf of a qualified individual, if the Commissioner of Social Security has reason to believe that the person receiving the payments is misusing the payments.

(3) Maintaining lists of payees

The Commissioner of Social Security shall maintain lists which shall be updated periodically of-

(A) the name, address, and (if issued) the social security account number or employer identification number of each representative payee who is receiving benefit payments pursuant to this section, section 405(j) of this title, or section 1383(a)(2) of this title; and

(B) the name, address, and social security account number of each individual for whom each representative payee is reported to be providing services as representative payee pursuant to this section, section 405(j) of this title, or section 1383(a)(2) of this title.

(4) Maintaining lists of agencies

The Commissioner of Social Security shall maintain lists, which shall be updated periodically, of public agencies and community-based nonprofit social service agencies which are qualified to serve as representative payees pursuant to this section and which are located in the jurisdiction in which any qualified individual resides.

(i) Restitution

In any case where the negligent failure of the Commissioner of Social Security to investigate or monitor a representative payee results in misuse of benefits by the representative payee, the Commissioner of Social Security shall make payment to the qualified individual or the individual's alternative representative payee of an amount equal to the misused benefits. The Commissioner of Social Security shall make a good faith effort to obtain restitution from the terminated representative payee.

(Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, title VIII, §807, as added Pub. L. 106–169, title II, §251(a), Dec. 14, 1999, 113 Stat. 1846 .)

References in Text

The Internal Revenue Code of 1986, referred to in subsec. (b)(2)(B), is classified generally to Title 26, Internal Revenue Code.

Prior Provisions

For prior provisions, see note set out under section 1001 of this title.

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 405, 1008, 1011, 1383 of this title.

¹ So in original. Probably should be "1383(a)(2)(A)(iii)".