Commissioner Statement on Economic Impact Payments
Reading Time: 3 MinutesLast Updated: March 25, 2021
I want to provide an important update about the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) processing of Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.
At each turn over the last 12 months, immediate delivery of EIPs has been, and remains, a top priority for this agency. SSA’s public service mission is squarely focused on many of those who are most economically-vulnerable in our society and we owe it to our beneficiaries to ensure they receive their EIPs right away. In fact, it was the substantial efforts of SSA that successfully overcame the fact that the IRS did not have a mechanism to automatically identify Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, some of the most financially insecure people in America. It was SSA that pushed the prior Administration and Congress to allow us to send to IRS a file of those individuals, who do not receive forms SSA-1099, so that IRS could automatically issue EIPs to them.
Since the time that discussions began regarding issuance of EIPs in the ARP Act, weeks before passage, we have worked tirelessly with our counterparts at IRS to provide to them the information they need to issue payments to our beneficiaries. Despite the fact that Congress did not directly provide SSA funding to support our work on EIPs, we have provided countless hours of assistance to IRS consistent with the laws that establish how we may use the Trust Funds that every American counts on us to protect.
SSA discussed with Treasury and IRS, both before passage and after enactment of the ARP Act, that the Social Security Act does not allow the agency to use our administrative appropriation to conduct work on any non-mission provision or program. Accordingly, we were not authorized to substantively engage Treasury or IRS prior to the ARP’s passage. Instead, upon passage, we were required to pursue a reimbursable agreement with IRS because we received no direct appropriation through the ARP Act. From the outset of discussions, we kept congressional staff apprised of the hurdles this approach would create for SSA, and we have continued to update them on our progress with IRS as we completed the required interagency agreements.
Once we were free to move forward, we aggressively worked with Treasury and IRS to issue payments. As a result of our efforts, we successfully signed the reimbursable agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) less than one week after passage, on March 17. That process often takes weeks or months to complete, but we got the job done in a matter of days. A few days later, on Monday, March 22, SSA sent initial test files to IRS. IRS confirmed testing success on Wednesday, March 24. Production files were delivered to IRS before 9 AM on Thursday, March 25 – more than a week sooner than we were able to provide a similar file to IRS during the first round of EIPs.
While we were working through the agreements with IRS that would fund our efforts to support issuance of EIPs, we were also protecting the integrity of the EIP program by updating the files that IRS will use to issue payments to our beneficiaries. Those updates to our files ensure that payments go to correct bank accounts and addresses, and, that those who are deceased are removed from the files. In short, Social Security employees have literally worked day and night with IRS staff to ensure that the electronic files of Social Security and SSI recipients are complete, accurate, and ready to be used to issue payments. There is no one more committed to serving the public than the employees of this agency, and there should be no doubt whatsoever that they are striving each day to serve the vulnerable populations to whom they have committed their careers. I find any insinuation to the contrary to be unacceptable.
I assure you that we will continue to do all we can to support implementation of the ARP Act.
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Tags: American Rescue Plan, Commissioner, Economic Impact Payments, social security, SSI
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Andrew Saul, Commissioner, Social Security Administration
Commissioner of Social Security Administration (June 17, 2019 - July 9, 2021)
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HarryOOOO
Mr. Saul… its time for you to leave your position, When you can’t be honest, as you have not been, then its time for you to exit your position immediately. Your a man of excuses an not a man of solutions an honesty. You’ve lied to 30 million Americans an also you lied to GOD..
TIRED
Mr. Saul you get paid very well to do a job, In so doing a job you have failed the American people,,, I’m sure you will pass the buck an blame everything on the IRS.. Its time for you to be a “MAN” an correct the wrong your doing; that’s affecting millions of needy Americans. If you can’t then its time for you to be relieved of your duty.
Nathaniel A.
Andrew Saul should just resign. His explanation for the delay is basically a mop up job designed to point blame at other federal agencies. He is obviously highly incompetent and does not have a clear grasp on his responsibilities at SSA. He does not know the pain and suffering of the people receiving benefits from Social Security. I literally have 6 cans of pork and beans in my cabinet.
Elizabeth C.
I carefully read this commissioner’s rhetoric. At this stage this should have been a piece of cake. Direct Deposits and EIP are not the problem we are facing. It’s his lack of concern and disregard of the majority of ppl that are no longer required to pay income taxes. Why is this STIMULUS so different from the two others? This is disgraceful and we must keep the pressure on this commissioner and demand immediate release of our records to treasury and the IRS needed to pay us our Stimulus money. There should be no one waiting this long. We are being disrespected by a Commissioner placed there by Donald Trump. Hold him accountable. Where’s our ARA payment
Erika Z.
Mr. Saul, The fact you’re presenting yourself as the hero in this botched distribution of the checks to SSDI/SSA recipients is really disgusting. You’ve had our information as evident with the distribution of the first two checks. I don’t know what your motive was to deliberately delay the 3rd payment was, but it was sadistic.
Tracy A.
What the blank??? ALL that and we still didn’t get a Date????? This is horrible. I have no food waiting for this… We are struggling. You already have all our information ℹ️
David
My wife and I received the stimulus last year via direct deposit, this year my wife received a check on the 2nd one and I didn’t get one, and we both haven’t received the 3rd one yet, am confused.
Linda W.
It has been totally exasperating waiting for this third stimulus payment. Now that the SSA’s (basic) non-compliance in getting our files to the IRS in a timely manner been revealed, it is an even more maddening situation. And you HAVE jobs, just like we did, when we paid into the program all our working lives! What a country.
Hollie w.
While we are grateful for what you have done truly we are. However sir I am hearing two of you are trying to privatize our Medicare I am not in agreement after what all the Corp elite have done to our economic structure. The Texas incident. That is a bad bad IDEA. Also I want you to know we are Against this Hitler T-4 project PRESCRITION PROHABITION. We must end immediately. We lost a lot of non addict ppl 800,000. DEA REPORT clearly show its a illegal drugs . Plus in my state ID they are using the EHR system to cover up malpractice. We need help. Please
BIG H.
I think the Pres need to fire that SSA Commissioner!!! Because he’s making excuses,because he got caught!!!!
Rob D.
Call your Senators and tell them to join in Sen. Sherrod Brown’s call for Saul’s resignation or to be fired. Call your representative and ask him/her to support Rep. Pascale’s call for Saul to be fired.