Social Security Tries To Find Pro Bono Rep Payees
A
press release from Social Security:
Carolyn W. Colvin, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, announced the agency’s implementation of a pro bono
pilot in Maryland for attorneys interested in being a representative
payee for a Social Security beneficiary. Representative payees provide
crucial help to the most vulnerable individuals in our community with
their Social Security and Supplemental Security Income payments.
“The Maryland Representative Payee Pro Bono Pilot offers
attorneys a chance to fulfill the Court of Appeals’ aspirational goal
of providing pro bono services – by assisting the young, elderly, and
disabled with their Social Security benefits,” Acting Commissioner
Colvin said. “Attorneys are held to high ethical standards and will
serve this at-risk population with the compassion and integrity they
deserve.”
Any licensed Maryland attorney in good standing can volunteer for this pilot project by registering at www.socialsecurity.gov/payee/probonopilot.htm.
Social Security will use the information provided to connect
interested attorneys with beneficiaries in need of the services. The
Maryland pilot will expand the network of available candidates to help
assist those in need. “The Pro Bono Resource Center of
Maryland supports the new pilot project and looks forward to working
with the Social Security Administration in promoting this important
opportunity to assist vulnerable individuals to the Maryland legal
community,” stated Sharon E. Goldsmith, Executive Director of PBRC.
PBRC serves as the designated pro bono arm of the Maryland State Bar Association.
Representative payees provide a key service to Social Security
recipients who are unable to manage their benefits. Nearly 21 percent
of people who need help managing their payments do not have family
members or trusted friends who can help them. Payees receive monthly
payments on behalf of the beneficiary and use the funds to meet the
individual’s basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. They also
keep records and ensure that Social Security funds are used to care for
the recipient. Once the pilot is successful in Maryland, the agency
will consider expanding to states nationwide.
Acting Commissioner Colvin reinforced that “representative payees
play a vital role in serving our beneficiaries and creating a stable
living environment for the most vulnerable people in our society. I
encourage eligible Maryland attorneys to participate in this pilot.”
7 comments:
I wish the SSA would promote this to claimants with the caveat: You get what you pay for.
Having been a rep payee for a client and a family member, it is a thankless job filled with frustration. If a person has mental issues or substance abuse problems, it can be a nightmare. It's a lot more than just paying bills. I would not recommend it to anybody.
Often, the clients who need payees are the most difficult clients to deal with during representation for their claim. I cannot imagine a worse hell then having to live with some of these clients for several years as they tie up my time and that of office staff. With the pay rates that ALJs are giving and the "amending" of onset dates to give almost no fees, this program would be certain to drive a lot of attorneys to leave SSA dib practice.
This is bizarre. There are perfectly good fee for service rep payee agencies that have the infrastructure and experience in managing benefits. I can't imagine why any attorney would take on this role for free or for the paltry fee that they would get. There are some problems with current fee for service payees but that could be helped by more oversight by SSA. But that requires staff and allocation of resources.
Not all areas have an abundance of FFS payees. Some areas have zero.
If some of the attorneys who represent these people volunteered for this, then maybe they'd get a better idea of what CRs deal with on a daily basis (i.e. constant calls and visits from high maintenance claimants). And it changes the entire relationship when one person is in charge of the other one's money.
1:57 PM, you obviously have not worked in a law firm that represents claimants. Do you think that those high maintenance claimants ONLY pester CRs? Once we accept a client whose case was denied at application or recon level, we have to deal with that client for 2-3 years (longer in the case of appeals to the Appeals Council and remand hearings. Despite being fully informed at an intake conference and being given a detailed brochure explaining the process and how long it takes, some of these claimants call in weekly and berate their attorney for not getting them to a hearing sooner. While the "mills" meet their clients at the ODAR hearing, many or most of us spend a lot of time with clients while cases are pending.
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