New Regulations on Civil Monetary Penalties

The Social Security Administration has published final regulations on civil monetary penalties to

... implement amendments to section 1129 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320a–8) to provide for the imposition of civil monetary penalties and/or assessments: against representative payees who convert Social Security benefits for a use other than for the use or benefit of the beneficiary; against those who withhold disclosure of material statements to SSA; and, against those who make false or misleading statements or representations or omissions of material fact with respect to benefits or payments under title VIII of the Social Security Act.

The regulations had been criticized by the National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives (NOSSCR) as overly broad, but were adopted with only minor changes.