Representative Payee

If Guidance Carolina is serving a client in the role of Guardian, Trustee or Power-of-Attorney, we can also serve as Representative Payee. As Representative Payee, Guidance Carolina has the following required responsibilities as outlined by the Social Security Administration:
– Determine the beneficiary’s needs and use their payments to meet those needs.
– Save any money left after meeting the beneficiary’s current needs in an interest-bearing account or savings bonds for the beneficiary’s future needs.
– Report any changes or events which could affect the beneficiary’s eligibility for benefits or payment.
– Keep records of all payments received and how we spent and saved them.
– Provide benefit information to social service agencies or medical facilities that serve the beneficiary.
– Help the beneficiary get medical treatment when needed.
– Report any changes that would affect Guidance Carolina’s ability to continue serving as Representative Payee.
– Complete written reports accounting for our use of funds.
– Return any payments to which the beneficiary is not entitled to the Social Security Administration.

Yes. The Treasury Department does not recognize Powers-of-Attorney for negotiating federal payments, including Social Security or SSI checks. This means, if you have Power-of-Attorney for someone who is incapable of managing his or her own benefits, you must still apply to serve as his or her Payee.

A Representative Payee is a person or an organization appointed by the Social Security Administration to receive the Social Security or SSI benefits for anyone who can’t manage or direct the management of his or her benefits due to mental illness, substance abuse, or other conditions that limit the beneficiary’s capacity.

The Social Security Administration – https://www.ssa.gov/payee/

Any SSDI or SSI beneficiary who:
1. Is under the age of 18, OR
2. Found by a court to be legally incompetent, OR
3. Is unable to manage his or her benefits due to mental illness, substance abuse problems, chronic homelessness, and/or other conditions that limit his or her capacity to manage money responsibly.

The law requires most minor children and all legally incompetent adults to have payees. The Social Security Administration presumes an adult is capable of managing his or her own benefits. If it appears this may not be true, SSA gathers evidence to decide if they need to appoint a Representative Payee.

Guidance Carolina does serve as Representative Payee, but only if we are named in another legal role. If Guidance Carolina is serving a client as Guardian, Agent under a POA, or Trustee, we can serve as Representative Payee. We can also contract with residential care providers to serve groups of individuals as Representative Payee. We no longer offer Representative Payee services as a stand-alone service for individuals.