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YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY | Rock Island, Illinois Office

By Cristina Vital
Social Security Manager
Rock Island Social Security Office

UNDERSTANDING THE NEED FOR A REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE

You may know someone who gets a monthly Social Security benefit or Supplemental Security Income payment and who also needs help managing their money.  If someone you know needs help, we can appoint a person or an organization to act as a “representative payee” responsible for receiving and managing a person’s benefits.

When we assign a representative payee, we select someone who knows the beneficiary’s needs and can make decisions about how to best use their benefits for their care and wellbeing. Representative payees are responsible for completing an annual form to account for the benefit payments they receive and manage.  They must complete this form and return it to Social Security by mail or, if they have a personal my Social Security account, they can file it online using the Representative Payee portal.  Account holders can get a benefit verification letter and manage direct deposit and wage reporting for their beneficiaries.  Learn more about the portal at www.ssa.gov/myaccount/rep-payee.html.

You also have the option to identify, in advance, up to three individuals you trust to serve as your future representative payee and help manage your benefits, if the need arises.  We call this Advance Designation. We offer Advance Designation to capable adults and emancipated minors who are applying for or already receiving Social Security benefits, Supplemental Security Income, or Special Veterans Benefits. With Advance Designation, you and your family can enjoy peace of mind knowing someone you trust may be appointed to manage your benefits.

Find more information about:

• Advance Designation at www.ssa.gov/payee/advance_designation.htm.
• Representative Payees at www.ssa.gov/payee.
• Training videos on the duties of a representative payee at www.ssa.gov/payee/rp_training2.html.
• Publications about representative payees at www.ssa.gov/payee/newpubs.htm.

If you know someone who needs help managing their monthly benefits, please consider becoming a representative payee. You can also help by sharing this information with friends and family.

CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER ONLINE

If you receive Social Security benefits, the easiest way to change your address and phone number is by creating a personal my Social Security account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount.  Once you create your account, you can update your contact information from your preferred location. This feature is available for people who receive retirement, survivors, or disability benefits, along with Medicare enrollees. If you receive Supplemental Security Income, you can check the address that we have on record with your account.

Visit our my Social Security webpage to get started.  To create an account, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Provide a valid email address.
• Have a Social Security number (SSN).
• Provide a U.S. mailing address (includes military addresses, APO/FPO/DPO, AE, AP, or AA).

Once you have a valid email address, you are ready to create your personal my Social Security account. When you visit my Social Security, select the “Create an Account” button. You will have the option to create your new my Social Security account with one of our two credential partners: Login.gov or ID.me.

• Login.gov is the public’s one account for simple,
  secure, and private access to participating U.S. government agencies.
• ID.me is a single sign-on provider that meets the U.S. government’s online identity proofing and authentication requirements.

Please note, if you already have a Login.gov or ID.me account, you can select the appropriate button to sign in with either one and access your personal my Social Security account. If you previously verified your identity with Login.gov or ID.me, you don’t need to do so again. If you don’t have a Login.gov or ID.me account, please select the “Create an Account” link to start the one-time registration process.

If you create a new Login.gov credential, we will still complete the identity verification part, so you will need to provide some personal information to us. You will also receive an activation code from us to complete the process.

Remember, you can do much of your business with us online at www.ssa.gov/onlineservices.