Guide for Organizational Representative Payees

Introduction

SSA administers two programs that provide income security for aged, blind and disabled persons and their dependents or survivors. These programs are the most important sources of income for many Americans.

Social Security is a social insurance program that protects workers and their families from a loss of earnings because of retirement, death, or disability. Social Security disability insurance benefits are often referred to as SSDI. Social Security is funded by payroll taxes collected under authority of the Federal Insurance Compensation Act (FICA).

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a federal income maintenance program for aged, blind, and disabled persons with little or no income or resources. It is funded by the United States (U.S.) Treasury’s general funds.

For ease of reference, in this guide, we refer to Social Security beneficiaries and SSI recipients as "beneficiaries”. Some beneficiaries receive both Social Security and SSI payments. You must know which type of payment a beneficiary is receiving, so that you will know what you must report to us.

Our preference is to make payments directly to the adult beneficiary; however, when they are unable to manage or direct the management of their own funds, a payee may need to be appointed by SSA. SSA usually looks for a payee among the beneficiary’s family and friends. For a small segment of the population, these traditional networks of support are not available. We rely on state, local, or community sources to fill the need.

Payee programs play a vital role in serving our beneficiaries. They help to ensure that benefit payments are used for basic needs first; providing the beneficiary with a more stable living environment. A caring payee can help motivate beneficiaries to work toward more independent living and can improve their response to therapy, rehabilitation and a relationship with their family.