ICYMI: Gillibrand, Wyden Push to Protect Beneficiaries From Fraud, Abuse
Cuts at the Social Security Administration have significantly delayed representative payee reviews, putting beneficiaries at risk of fraud and abuse
Senate Dems’ Social Security War Room is a coordinated effort to fight back against Trump admin Social Security attacks
Washington, D.C. - Senate Aging Committee Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) are demanding answers about how Trump administration cuts and reorganizations at the Social Security Administration (SSA) have delayed the representative payee review process, putting Social Security beneficiaries at risk of fraud and abuse.
Representative payees manage Social Security payments for beneficiaries who are unable to do so on their own, helping some of Social Security’s most vulnerable beneficiaries receive and access their benefits. Recent reports have indicated that Trump administration cuts and reassignments at SSA have significantly delayed the approval process for representative payee reviews, undermining vital efforts to protect beneficiaries from Social Security fraud and putting vulnerable beneficiaries at financial risk.
“Representative payees are entrusted with sensitive information so they can help the most vulnerable Social Security beneficiaries manage their benefits. We must make sure that these representatives cannot take advantage of the beneficiaries that they are supposed to protect,” wrote Senator Gillibrand. “That’s why I’m demanding answers about how Trump administration cuts and organizational changes are impacting the ability of P&As to guard against fraud and abuse.
They can be individuals such as spouses, parents, or relatives, or they can be organizations such as businesses or social services agencies. Because representative payees play an integral and sensitive role, SSA partners with state Protection & Advocacy organizations (P&As) to routinely monitor representative payee performance and guard against fraud and abuse. This week, Senators Gillibrand and Wyden asked the 57 P&As in the United States how the Trump administration’s staff reductions and management changes at SSA are impacting their ability to protect beneficiaries from fraud and abuse by the representative payees designated to assist them.
“State Protection & Advocacy agencies, like Disability Rights Oregon, are the indispensable watchdogs, protecting seniors and people with disabilities from abuse and neglect from those entrusted with their wellbeing, which is why we passed a bipartisan law in 2018 to deputize these agencies to go after bad actors in behalf of SSA,” Senator Wyden continued. “However, we have received disturbing reports that Trump and DOGE’s disastrous cuts have left these state agencies paralyzed and ultimately left our most vulnerable unprotected.”
Senate Dems’ Social Security War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders, encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them, and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.
###
Next Article Previous Article