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)
Comments
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Brenda W.
I lost my home my family is here and there because we never wanted to pile in on my granddaughter I miss my kids but I never got the 1400$ so I lost my home in some word. I lost my kids to
Kathy S.
Still waiting on my payment… get my payments page still says status unavailable that I may not be eligible for a payment and I am eligible and I got my first two so what is going on
DENISE J.
I agree with everyone’s commit.I got my 600.00 really quick.Now I’ve been looking,and waiting.My money in my account is getting low.Plus I was hoping to have it before I have my serious surgery very soon.so I can have it for my CO-PAY OF 275.00 .IF I DON’T HAVE MY SURGERY I WILL BE PARALIZED! WHICH I DON’T WANT.So get on the ball and get the 1400 in my bank account ASAP I HOPE TO SEE IT BY MARCH 31.MR.SAUL, WOULD YOU WANT TO BE PARALIZED AT AGE 68?
doug k.
No stimulus check yet on ss and I was hoping to get a new HVAC system , got it no way of paying for it thanks to the system mistakes
Scott B.
Just as the Trump administration was corrupt this Saul idiot is the same way. He was part of the Trump administration and is purposely doing this to make Biden look bad. And people who need the money are suffering. Saul should have been fired yesterday! You should know what to do by now you idiot!
Haa
Ur a fucking idiot and musta been bought out by saul. And by way silver and gold ain’t worth shit u don’t even no what a troy oz u fuck. Stfup
Marshall M.
Keeping any of trump’s people in office is only continuing to spread More cancer throughout the. SYSTEM !!!! by all MEANS, get rid of this LYING JACKASS!!!!!!!
Douglas P.
What went wrong? When the other stimulus money went out I received it just day’s after it was signed into law. They should’ve had our information in the system? It’s sad when our government does not care about their seniors veterans railroad workers. So now they have the information why can’t you tell us when we will get our stimulus check?
Screw U.
Save the sob stories people. Saul could care less.
Screw U.
The bottom line is Saul doesn’t give a tinker’s damn about people receiving SSD and/or SSI. He’s just another fat cat who doesn’t have to try and live on $800 a month like I do. He’s got his, screw the rest of us.
How typically Republican.
Ann B.
Yep! You got that right!
“On Wednesday, March 24, House Democrats Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ), Richard Neal (D-MA), John Larson (D-CT), and Danny Davis (D-IL), members of the Ways and Means Committee, sent a letter to Social Security Administration commissioner Andrew Saul, complete with an ultimatum. According to the letter, nearly 30 million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income recipients, some of the country’s poorest and neediest people, were being prevented from receiving their $1,400 stimulus checks from the American Rescue Plan, because Saul was refusing to send the necessary payment files to the IRS.”
REAL NICE!!