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
See CommentsAbout the Author
Andrew Saul, Commissioner, Social Security Administration
Commissioner of Social Security Administration (June 17, 2019 - July 9, 2021)
Comments
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Lisa G.
Thank you and those who work with you for all you do to insure we are treated with dignity and concern when some see us as just a nuisance
Tammy P.
Just hope i get .
James e.
When will we get the third stimulus ssi we all have been checking are cards and still nothing pending
latia n.
Ok great so when will we see the deposit??
Melissa D.
Thank you Mr Saul for your statement on EIP for Social Security benefit recipients.
Also, Congratulations on your appointment as Commission to the Social Security Administration.
Dak
Fuck u and him do no good join trump in jail fuck
Douglas K.
It is so sad murders,rapiest and other in prison get a 1400 Chechen before a man who welded for 30 years paid taxes ad his bills
Living on 1000 a month disability and has gotten NOTHING
Renee I.
Okay so why are we, social security recipients, possibly one of the last ones to be receiving the 3rd stimulus? Majority of us have direct deposit or our benefits are put onto a debit card, but yet here we are, still no 3rd stimulus. For the most part, the stress this is causing is too much. Wondering and questioning if I will even receive the 3rd stimulus is over the top.
JEFFERY D.
When do we get the money $1400.00 I’m losing my home
Patricia E.
Well i hate to disappoint you but i have yet to receive my third stimulus. I received the first 2 without any problems. My ss#, address, direct deposit information has not CHANGED in years. I cannot understand your reasoning for sending my third stimulus by chech through the mail when it was supposed to be direct deposited.
Angie M.
I agree with the fact that SSA recipients are vulnerable, however, so are SSDI recipients! I have been disabled since I was 50 years old, not by choice, but by the decision of 3 different orthopedic surgeons who made that voice for me by refusing to fix me or give me a medical release stating, ” I cannot ethically or morally do that because you would be a liability “! So, on SSDI I make 1/3 of what my Social Security retirement would have been. Pretty sad when you work hard, as taught to build that ” nest egg ” only to have doctors have the power to take that ability away.
Debbi P.
Facts I’ve been disabled since I was 55.
Shawn S.
I’m with you. I worked myself into a stroke. America acts like SSDI doesn’t exist.