Policies and Procedures

Policies and Procedures

1. Checks will be mailed out once every week, Monthly or on the 1st and 15th of the month. Checks are always mailed on the Tuesday following beneficiaries Deposit. It is up to the client to budget weekly spending amounts. Requesting ‘extra’ money is not an emergency.
***No checks are processed and mailed out on the same day they are requested, and no checks are available for pick up by the client.

2. If a need arises, the payee will complete the request within two days, unless it is an emergency. Emergency is defined as: death, rent deposit, lack of food. Other exceptions will be decided at the discretion of the payee as they arise.

3. All employment income must be reported to the Social Security Administration by the Rep Payee; it is the beneficiary’s responsibility to provide income information to the payee in a timely manner.

4. Questions and/or concerns can be directed to the payee during the hours of 8:00 am – 4 pm Monday through Friday. (Excluding lunch hour, which is from 12 pm – 1 pm).

5. Large purchases or additional bills require a new budget which means cutting spending money or other expenditures already in the budget.

Bills are paid in this priority:
• Rent
• Food
• Utilities
• Medical
• Insurance
• Loans/Credit Cards (we do not pay Personal Loans made to friends or family, those types of loan need to be paid out of Personal Needs)
• Telephone
• Cable
• Spending Money
• Other

7. The Representative Payee is responsible for completion and submission of representative payee reports. Other government or social service agencies that need financial information (i.e. Housing, Food Stamps, Medical Assistance), can be directed to this office for income information. All other information will be the responsibility of the beneficiary.

8. Rent Changes must be given to the Rep Payee before the 1st of every month. If given on the same day or after, there will have to be a rent change on the following month.
Housing costs will be paid directly to the landlord or the mortgage company, supporting documentation in the form of a lease or monthly mortgage statement is required. If a beneficiary becomes a roommate, his or her name must be added to the lease and a copy obtained for the file.
Informal living arrangements such as living with family members or a temporary stay with a friend should be supported by a written statement that includes the agreed rent amount, the due date, and what else is included, such as utilities, meal, phone, etc.

9. All bills must be sent directly to the Rep Payee. The beneficiary is responsible to make necessary address changes since vendors will not talk to anyone other than the person whose name is on the account.

Vendor Invoices should be updated in the following manner:

Client Name c/o Payee Central, Inc.
PO Box 1310
Alexandria, MN 56308

10. Requests for amounts over $100 require a detailed receipt for the Social Security purposes.

We always strive to provide our services in the best interest of our clients. As Rep Payee, we must follow SSA guidelines and rules and therefore make decisions accordingly.

 

Please note you must notify us of the following:

• If you move
• If you leave your household for a calendar month or longer. For example, you enter a hospital or visit a relative.
• You leave the United States for 30 days or more.
• You enter a jail, prison, or other penal institution.
• You are released from a hospital, nursing home, etc.
• You are no longer a legal resident of the United States.
• The amount of money you pay towards household expenses changes.
• If someone move’s into or out of your household
• If your marital status changes.
• If there are births or deaths of any people with whom you live.
• If you start work or stop work.
• If your earnings go up or down.
• If you get help from others in the form of money, food, clothing or payment of household expenses. You must report if others start helping you or if others stop helping you.
• If you sell or give any things of value away. If you buy or are given anything of value.
• If you are incarcerated, are convicted of a crime, if you are fleeing prosecution, if you violate a condition of your parole or probation under Federal or State Law.
• If your condition improves or your doctor says you can go return to work.
• If you are under age 18 and live with your parent (s), ask your parents to report if they have a change in the value of anything they own, or either has a change in residence.
• There are changes in the income, school attendance (if between the ages of 18 and 21), or marital status of ineligible children who live in your household.

***These items are required for Notification to the Social Security Administration.  Not reporting this information can result in suspension of benefits.