Improving the Social Security Representative Payee Program Serving Beneficiaries and Minimizing Misuse (2007) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix D In-Depth Study of Misuse
Appendix D In-Depth Study of Misuse
Pages 132-160
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Social Security Administration, 2002)
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ANALySIS OF RPS DATA In this section we first examine the characteristics of all the representative payees in the RPS by misuser status. We then discuss the characteristics of payees by misuser status and type of beneficiary.
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bN = 14,380,000. SOURCE: Data generated from a review of SSA administrative data of identified misusers conducted for the National Academies Committee on Social Security Representative Payees (2006)
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Table D-2 presents the data on these variables. Almost all the representative payees serve family members only.
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fN = 355,980. SOURCE: Data generated from a review of SSA administrative data of identified misusers conducted for the National Academies Committee on Social Security Representative Payees (2006)
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It is important to note that we could not discern from the available RPS data whether the active misuser payees: (1) continue to serve for the beneficiary whose funds they had misused, (2)
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IMPROVING THE SOCIAL SECURITY REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE PROGRAM suggest that the misuse is only alleged and that the designation of misuse might be inaccurate: the payee is an adult daughter who continues to serve for the same beneficiary. Summary Our analysis of the RPS data provides some information about the type of payee who is identified as a misuser in the system.
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Two training sessions were held for the case reviewers, which led to a few adjustments to the case review process and further refinements to the recording sheets. For many of the payees and beneficiaries, the case
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0 IMPROVING THE SOCIAL SECURITY REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE PROGRAM reviewers had to read various notes in several folders in order to glean the information presented in this study. To meet our goal of reviewing 300 folders, we drew a random sample of 500 non-fee-for-service individual representative payees from a list we had generated from the RPS of previously identified misusers.
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APPENDIX D TABLE D-4 Payee Demographic Characteristics at Time of Misuse Characteristic Number Percent Gender Male 84 28.9 Female 190 65.3 Not available 17 5.8 Age 19 1 0.3 20-29 44 15.1 30-39 108 37.1 40-49 64 22.0 50-59 32 11.0 60-69 8 2.8 70 and older 5 1.7 Not available 29 10.0 Age Relative to the Beneficiary's Age Younger 47 16.2 Older 207 71.1 Not available 37 12.7 Relationship to Beneficiary Spouse 9 3.1 Parent 146 50.2 Son or daughter 8 2.8 Grandparent 2 0.7 Grandchild 1 0.3 Other relative 36 12.4 Other 24 8.5 Not available 65 22.3 SOURCE: Data generated from a review of SSA administrative data of identified misusers conducted for the National Academies Committee on Social Security Representative Payees (2006)
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. time of the misuse, only 4 percent of the payees were court-appointed legal guardians of their payees; 73 percent were not, and for 23 percent the information is not available.
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APPENDIX D TABLE D-6 Payee Education, Sources of Income, and Income at Time of Misuse Characteristic Number Percent Education No formal schooling 0 0.0 Less than high school 39 13.4 High school 8 2.8 Post high school 2 0.7 Not available 242 83.2 Source of Income Employed 67 23.0 Self-employed 4 1.4 OASDI 68 23.4 Pension 1 0.3 SSI 17 5.8 AFDC or TANF 11 3.8 Employed and OASDI 6 2.1 Employed and SSI 3 1.0 Employed and other 1 0.3 Self-employed and AFDC or TANF 4 1.4 OASDI and AFDC or TANF 11 3.8 OASDI and SSI 9 3.1 OASDI and worker's compensation 1 0.3 Employed and OASDI and other 1 0.3 Employed and AFDC or TANF and other 1 0.3 Other 10 3.4 Unknown 76 26.1 Annual Income from All Sources Less than $5,000 68 23.4 5,000-10,000 69 23.7 10,000-20,000 58 19.9 20,000-30,000 11 3.8 30,000-40,000 5 1.7 40,000-50,000 1 0.3 More than $50,000 2 0.7 Unknown 77 26.5 SOURCE: Data generated from a review of SSA administrative data of identified misusers conducted for the National Academies Committee on Social Security Representative Payees (2006)
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IMPROVING THE SOCIAL SECURITY REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE PROGRAM TABLE D-7 Beneficiary Education and Benefits at Time of Misuse Characteristic Number Percent Education No formal schooling 10 3.4 Still in school 64 22.0 Less than high school 88 30.2 High school 16 5.5 Post-high school 10 3.4 Not available 73 35.4 Type of Benefit Received OASDI: Retirement 6 2.1 OASDI: Survivors 40 13.8 OASDI: Disability 91 31.3 SSI 101 34.7 Concurrent 23 7.9 Not available 30 10.3 SOURCE: Data generated from a review of SSA administrative data of identified misusers conducted for the National Academies Committee on Social Security Representative Payees (2006)
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. TABLE D-9 Payee and Beneficiary Reported Drug or Alcohol Abuse Drug or Alcohol Abuse Number Percent Payees Known to abuse 20 6.9 Reviewers found no allegations 150 51.6 Not available 121 41.6 Beneficiaries Known to abuse 13 4.5 Reviewers found no allegations 209 71.8 Not available 69 23.7 SOURCE: Data generated from a review of SSA administrative data of identified misusers conducted for the National Academies Committee on Social Security Representative Payees (2006)
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In spite of being labeled a misuser in the RPS, about 9 percent of the payees were still shown as active in the system. This percentage is somewhat TABLE D-10 Factors Related to the Payeeship Payee Number Percent Payee Is a Payee Yes 1 0.3 No 272 93.5 Not available 18 6.2 Responds to Annual Accounting Yes 25 8.6 No 49 16.8 Not available 217 74.6 Serving for Others at Time of Misuse Yes 70 24.1 No 170 58.4 Not available 51 17.5 Still Serving as Payee Yes 27 9.3 No 234 80.4 Not available 30 10.3 Total Number of Beneficiaries Served Only one 102 35.1 2-15 159 54.6 15-50 2 0.7 50 or more 12 4.1 Not available 16 5.5 Rapid Increase in Number of Beneficiaries Served Yes 2 0.7 No 246 84.5 Not available 43 14.8 Number of Times Terminated Once 129 44.3 Twice 47 16.2 More than twice 64 22.0 Never 11 3.8 Not available 40 13.8 SOURCE: Data generated from a review of SSA administrative data of identified misusers conducted for the National Academies Committee on Social Security Representative Payees (2006)
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The longest period of misuse was more than 10 years and involved a total of $33,000. TABLE D-11 Misuse Amounts and Time Category Unit Amount Total $1,191,859 Average $4,414 Median $2,442 Lowest $41 Highest $45,000 Duration in Months Average time 11 months Median 4 months Shortest 1 month Longest 129 months SOURCE: Data generated from a review of SSA administra tive data of identified misusers conducted for the National Academies Committee on Social Security Representative Payees (2006)
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0-12 77.7 12-24 10.3 24-36 4.4 36-48 3.7 48-60 1.5 60-72 0.7 72-84 0.7 84-96 0.4 96-108 0.0 108-120 0.4 120-132 0.4 Total 100.0 SOURCE: Data generated from a review of SSA administrative data of identified misusers conducted for the National Acad emies Committee on Social Security Representative Payees (2006)
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APPENDIX D 56.2 percent of all SSI beneficiaries received their benefits by direct deposit (see http://www.ssa.gov/deposit/GIS/data/Reports/DDTREND2.htm [June 2007]
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We note above and in the body of the report that misuse is not well documented in the RPS, and it is also not well documented in the beneficiary folders or other administrative data. As shown in this table, the case reviewers were able to piece together explanations or find documentation for only 59 percent of the cases (172 of 291)
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APPENDIX D TABLE D-14 Explanations of Misuse Events by Categories of Explanations Explanation Number Percent Number Percent yes 172 59.1 Miscellaneous 28 16.3 Physical custody Parent 77 44.8 Other payee 13 7.6 Total 90 52.4 Payee issues Payee could not be located by SSA 2 1.2 Payee was not the payee of record 4 2.3 Payee was in prison while listed as payee 4 2.3 Payee could not account for spending 6 3.5 Total 16 9.3 Misuse/inappropriate spending Payee misused dedicated account 9 5.2 Benefits not due beneficiary Beneficiary was deceased 1 0.6 Beneficiary was in prison/institutionalized 12 7.0 Beneficiary was not due the money - other 9 5.2 Total 22 12.8 Misuse was alleged Misuse was never substantiated 7 4.1 No 119 40.9 Total 291 100.0 SOURCE: Data generated from a review of SSA administrative data of identified misusers • Payee reports not receiving check and cashes both checks -- double check abuser. By far the largest category of misuse determination involves SSA's unknowingly sending the benefit check to a person, who does not have the beneficiary in his or her care (52 percent)
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IMPROVING THE SOCIAL SECURITY REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE PROGRAM custody of them. If other relatives are involved, the most likely scenario is for the payments to go to a mother or a father when they should be going to a custodial grandparent.
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• This case involves misapplication of dedicated account funds which differ from misuse. However, the field staff posted this as misuse on RPS in error.
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IMPROVING THE SOCIAL SECURITY REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE PROGRAM to be in a dedicated account to be used for specific things. Payee used it for things other than what qualifies, and it was considered misuse although payee was not charged.
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APPENDIX D • This is not a misuse case. It is an overpayment.
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IMPROVING THE SOCIAL SECURITY REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE PROGRAM beneficiary's SSI payments. Field office contacted beneficiary for a statement concerning the payee's suitability and whether he wished the payee to continue.
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We note first that the administrative data do not provide a complete picture of misuse for a variety of reasons. First, folders are not available for all beneficiaries.
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IMPROVING THE SOCIAL SECURITY REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE PROGRAM Circumstances of Misuse • About 50 percent of the documented misuse happens because the payee does not have the beneficiary in his or her care (custody) as claimed.
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APPENDIX D • About 5 percent have criminal records. • About 7 percent are reported to be abusing drugs or alcohol.
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Social Security Administration 2002 Representative Payee Program. Office of Income Security Programs.
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