Fruit growers are starting to worry about "no match" letters from Social Security telling them that an employee's name and Social Security number don't match.
I always wondered if it was a "no match" letter that was sent to Meg Whitman when she was running for governor of the State of California that was one of the issues that derailed her candidacy in 2010. She had an undocumented immigrant housekeeper. I remember reading that the husband had gotten a letter from SSA and told her to take care of it.
Under the current climate, she might have been considered a hero by some voters.
The wages reported under a fake SSN cause continual problems for the SSI and SSDI recipients who are not working. Seems like their problems should also be considered more important than the individuals making up the SSN's.
Do you want the government notifying a stranger's employer you are disabled? If so, do you speak for all SSI and SSDI recipients?
Just seems like an unnecessary violation of privacy. Send the notices to recipients first. If the recipient is working while disabled (and not in compliance with SSA's ticket-to-work programs and the like), all the better to begin processing an overpayment sooner rather than later. If the recipient is not, the recipient would be in a better position to verify they are not working than the employer of the fraudster.
The letters are sent because the name and SSN reported do not match the name SSA has for that particular SSN. SSA doesn't look to see if the real person is on T2 ot T16 benefits when the letters go out. Sometimes there is just an error in reporting but more often than not it is someone that isn't legal that is using another person's number, be it through a fraudulent card or a number that was made up that happens to be someone else's number. The majority of the misused numbers are probably not SSA or SSI recipients just based on possible SSNs and SSA/SSI beneficiaries.
4:50 - No match letters do not disclose the identity of the actual number holder. They advise the employer that the name and the SSN provided by the employer in reporting the earnings to IRS/SSA do not match.
Is it important that an employer take action to properly credit an employee's social security account for any portion the law requires the employer to pay or withhold? How about the importance to properly apply federal and state income tax withholding concerning the taxpayer's earned income? How about any withholding needed for state disability programs and other local/city earned income taxes that might apply? If any employer is "starting to worry", is that confirmation that there is something that needs correction?
@6:21 I haven't read the no match letters, but there are many many people getting Social Security who are not disabled and many SSI cases with no match issues for the parents or spouse, not the disabled recipient. So your conclusion that SSA is telling a strange employer that you are disabled is false.
And again, if it just an SSN, how does the employer know who the SSN belongs to and how does the employer even know that this person is even entitled to benefits, let alone disabled? You and I would both have to read the letters before we come to that conclusion.
Has anyone ever used your SSN, pretended to be you, taken actions with your SSN? You may be OK with that. Most people probably are not OK with that. And don't you think the employer wants to report wages accurately? And shouldn't the person who the wages belong to be able to believe that they are getting credit for the wages they actually earned?
IMO, those issues are much more important than the unproven notion that these no match letters reveal that some stranger that the real person with this SSN who lives somewhere else, is disabled.
Also, expecting the severely mentally challenged disabled adult (which many recipients are) to be able to solve the problems caused by someone using their SSN, is kinda silly.
I still do not see why it wouldn't be an unnecessary invasion of privacy. I concede the point that the employer is not necessarily being informed of disability. However, even presuming the employer is just being informed the individual is receiving benefits of some kind from SSA, why is the recipient's privacy being ignored for no reason? Just as it is a disabled individual's choice, it is a retiree's choice, to disclose they are receiving SSA benefits. While I believe the stigma attached to disability benefits is greater, it would be incorrect to claim there is no stigma attached to receipt of government benefits in general. I'm not saying there should be a stigma, just that I've observed there is.
As to the no match letter only containing an SSN, employers know their employees' SSNs. That's literally built into the premise of the no match letter system. I'm not especially concerned with the employee who is fraudulently using someone else's SSN, I am concerned with the employee who is working while retired or disabled who wants to keep their receipt of government benefits private from their employer. In the event the no match notice was sent on some typographical error of the employee/recipient's name, address, etc., that will confirm to the employer their employee is on government benefits.
As to whether I am okay with someone else using my SSN, no? What gave you any indication of that? I specifically said SSA should contact the recipient first, not that these efforts should not be being made.
In regard to employers wanting to report wages accurately, I'm not sure why they would have an interest one way or the other as any correction through the no match system wouldn't result in any greater accuracy of the wages being reported. The wages being reported are accurate, they just are reported to a SSN which belongs to a different individual than the employer. As to the person whose being paid wages on a fraudulent SSN, their would be generally two types of those individuals, those who know they are paying into a system they could never draw from at retirement, and those who don't. Only the latter would benefit from the no match system. I can imagine a few scenarios where the individual may legitimately not know the SSN believes is theirs, is in fact someone else's. However, that can still be fixed by contacting the actual holder of the SSN first.
Finally, as to my assuming the "severely mentally challenged disabled adult" would be able to solve the problems caused by someone using their SSN, I never claimed they could solve the problem. Also, as you said plenty of these issues are regarding retirees. I am extremely doubtful all be the most mentally disabled individuals could not confirm they are not working. Those that are, would in all likelihood have third-parties (family, friends, etc.) who would already be points of contact with SSA given the mentally disabled individual's inability to communicate.
Like any representative is going to help "severely mentally challenged disabled adult would be able to solve the problems caused by someone using their SSN" the odds of which are very low due to the lack of any way to get paid.
Instead that work will fall on the FO/DO and maybe if strong enough in the area, the social service network like SHIP. Reps don't do squat once a decision is made and the check is deposited.
I always wondered if it was a "no match" letter that was sent to Meg Whitman when she was running for governor of the State of California that was one of the issues that derailed her candidacy in 2010. She had an undocumented immigrant housekeeper. I remember reading that the husband had gotten a letter from SSA and told her to take care of it.
ReplyDeleteUnder the current climate, she might have been considered a hero by some voters.
The wages reported under a fake SSN cause continual problems for the SSI and SSDI recipients who are not working. Seems like their problems should also be considered more important than the individuals making up the SSN's.
@4:50
ReplyDeleteDo you want the government notifying a stranger's employer you are disabled? If so, do you speak for all SSI and SSDI recipients?
Just seems like an unnecessary violation of privacy. Send the notices to recipients first. If the recipient is working while disabled (and not in compliance with SSA's ticket-to-work programs and the like), all the better to begin processing an overpayment sooner rather than later. If the recipient is not, the recipient would be in a better position to verify they are not working than the employer of the fraudster.
The letters are sent because the name and SSN reported do not match the name SSA has for that particular SSN. SSA doesn't look to see if the real person is on T2 ot T16 benefits when the letters go out. Sometimes there is just an error in reporting but more often than not it is someone that isn't legal that is using another person's number, be it through a fraudulent card or a number that was made up that happens to be someone else's number.
ReplyDeleteThe majority of the misused numbers are probably not SSA or SSI recipients just based on possible SSNs and SSA/SSI beneficiaries.
4:50 - No match letters do not disclose the identity of the actual number holder. They advise the employer that the name and the SSN provided by the employer in reporting the earnings to IRS/SSA do not match.
ReplyDeleteIs it important that an employer take action to properly credit an employee's social security account for any portion the law requires the employer to pay or withhold? How about the importance to properly apply federal and state income tax withholding concerning the taxpayer's earned income? How about any withholding needed for state disability programs and other local/city earned income taxes that might apply? If any employer is "starting to worry", is that confirmation that there is something that needs correction?
ReplyDelete@6:21 I haven't read the no match letters, but there are many many people getting Social Security who are not disabled and many SSI cases with no match issues for the parents or spouse, not the disabled recipient. So your conclusion that SSA is telling a strange employer that you are disabled is false.
ReplyDeleteAnd again, if it just an SSN, how does the employer know who the SSN belongs to and how does the employer even know that this person is even entitled to benefits, let alone disabled? You and I would both have to read the letters before we come to that conclusion.
Has anyone ever used your SSN, pretended to be you, taken actions with your SSN? You may be OK with that. Most people probably are not OK with that. And don't you think the employer wants to report wages accurately? And shouldn't the person who the wages belong to be able to believe that they are getting credit for the wages they actually earned?
IMO, those issues are much more important than the unproven notion that these no match letters reveal that some stranger that the real person with this SSN who lives somewhere else, is disabled.
Also, expecting the severely mentally challenged disabled adult (which many recipients are) to be able to solve the problems caused by someone using their SSN, is kinda silly.
@2:42
ReplyDeleteI still do not see why it wouldn't be an unnecessary invasion of privacy. I concede the point that the employer is not necessarily being informed of disability. However, even presuming the employer is just being informed the individual is receiving benefits of some kind from SSA, why is the recipient's privacy being ignored for no reason? Just as it is a disabled individual's choice, it is a retiree's choice, to disclose they are receiving SSA benefits. While I believe the stigma attached to disability benefits is greater, it would be incorrect to claim there is no stigma attached to receipt of government benefits in general. I'm not saying there should be a stigma, just that I've observed there is.
As to the no match letter only containing an SSN, employers know their employees' SSNs. That's literally built into the premise of the no match letter system. I'm not especially concerned with the employee who is fraudulently using someone else's SSN, I am concerned with the employee who is working while retired or disabled who wants to keep their receipt of government benefits private from their employer. In the event the no match notice was sent on some typographical error of the employee/recipient's name, address, etc., that will confirm to the employer their employee is on government benefits.
As to whether I am okay with someone else using my SSN, no? What gave you any indication of that? I specifically said SSA should contact the recipient first, not that these efforts should not be being made.
In regard to employers wanting to report wages accurately, I'm not sure why they would have an interest one way or the other as any correction through the no match system wouldn't result in any greater accuracy of the wages being reported. The wages being reported are accurate, they just are reported to a SSN which belongs to a different individual than the employer. As to the person whose being paid wages on a fraudulent SSN, their would be generally two types of those individuals, those who know they are paying into a system they could never draw from at retirement, and those who don't. Only the latter would benefit from the no match system. I can imagine a few scenarios where the individual may legitimately not know the SSN believes is theirs, is in fact someone else's. However, that can still be fixed by contacting the actual holder of the SSN first.
Finally, as to my assuming the "severely mentally challenged disabled adult" would be able to solve the problems caused by someone using their SSN, I never claimed they could solve the problem. Also, as you said plenty of these issues are regarding retirees. I am extremely doubtful all be the most mentally disabled individuals could not confirm they are not working. Those that are, would in all likelihood have third-parties (family, friends, etc.) who would already be points of contact with SSA given the mentally disabled individual's inability to communicate.
Like any representative is going to help "severely mentally challenged disabled adult would be able to solve the problems caused by someone using their SSN" the odds of which are very low due to the lack of any way to get paid.
ReplyDeleteInstead that work will fall on the FO/DO and maybe if strong enough in the area, the social service network like SHIP. Reps don't do squat once a decision is made and the check is deposited.