Social Security has asked the Office of Management and Budget to approve posting the proposed regulations described below in the Federal Register. The public can then comment on the proposal and the agency must formally consider those comments. Social Security would then have to ask OMB to approve posting final regulations. Unless this is rushed it probably won’t be finalized until the end of the Trump Administration, if not beyond.
| Title: Rescinding the Burdensome Use Restrictions of Dedicated Accounts | |
Abstract: Dedicated accounts are financial accounts (separate from those in which one’s regular monthly payments are received) required for representative payees of certain disabled children under age 18, usually eligible for certain past-due payments covering more than six months at the current benefit rate. Use of funds deposited in dedicated accounts is significantly restricted. The complicated nature of these restrictions discourages recipients and their representative payees from ever using the funds and places unnecessary burdens on accounting. Accordingly, we propose to revise our regulations to allow representative payees (and recipients if placed in direct pay) to use dedicated account funds for the recipient’s current maintenance. The benefit of deregulation would be reducing burden on payees. | |
This is a change that actually makes absolute sense. However, I wish they'd take it a step further and do away with Ded Accts altogether.
ReplyDeletededicated accounts are in the law, so only Congress can get rid of them. I hope they do, but in the meantime anything SSA can do to make them simpler for parents and SSA staff is a good thing.
DeleteThe dedicated account policy is imperfect. We obviously forgot the Zebley court case fallout that lead to dedicated accounts. History repeating...
ReplyDeleteEh, they just want bad publicity to pile up so they can rage about it in the future.
DeleteIt’ll be interesting to see how they thread the needle between use of the funds in a dedicated account is “significantly restricted” and it’s ok to use them for current maintenance.
ReplyDeleteAll the ssi backpay should go towards paying back Medicaid, like the IAR agreement, this may seem harsh (not intended) but processing a ton over my career i hear the same thing “all the things i can spend it on Medicaid pays for it” (ok atty’s you can rip this I’m generalizing)
ReplyDeleteI’v never understood “disability” is to replace lost income, SSI is the safety net.
Either treat it like a UPX or IAR.
After answering for 800# dedaccts are not being processed according to policy anyway!