The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced that it is planning on phasing out paper checks, instead of using electronic transfers to distribute payments to those receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
The first phase of the change began in May 2011, when the SSA announced that people who began receiving benefits after May 1, 2011, must receive them electronically. People who began receiving Social Security or SSI benefits before May 1, 2011, may still receive paper checks, but only until March 1, 2013.
The Social Security Administration offers several different ways to access electronically-transferred payments. Recipients may set up an account at a bank, credit union, or a savings and loan and have the money sent directly to that account each month. For those who don’t wish to use a bank account, Social Security also offers debit cards. The payment is added electronically to the debit card each month. Beginning in March 2013, the SSA may automatically send debit cards to those who don’t choose an electronic payment option, so that these recipients will still receive their benefits on time.
Anyone who currently receives or is applying for Social Security disability checks in Tennessee must choose their electronic delivery preference as soon as possible. Switching to electronic payments can be done online by visiting the SSA’s website, http://www.ssa.gov/deposit/, or by calling the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213. The TTY number is 1-800-325-0778.
Social Security provides assistance for those who are elderly and/or disabled. If you’re thinking of applying for Social Security disability benefits, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Tennessee Social Security disability lawyers at Massey & Associates, P.C. Call us today at (423) 396-0720 for a confidential consultation.
Gary Massey, Jr., is a well-known courtroom advocate practicing law in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Gary is a native of Tennessee who began practicing law in 1998. He graduated from Cumberland School of Law where he was ranked in the top 3% of his class and was an editor of the Cumberland Law Review.
