Rep Payee Review Program

In March 2018, legislation was passed by the U.S. Senate to increase independent oversight of representative payees. As a result of the “Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018,” Disability Rights Maine now conducts representative payee reviews on behalf of the Social Security Administration.

A rep payee is a person or organization appointed by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to manage a person’s Social Security or Supplemental Security Insurance benefits. SSA appoints a representative payee if they determine that a person cannot manage or direct the management of their Social Security benefits on their own.

SSA categorizes rep payees into two groups:

• Individual payees: These include relatives, guardians, friends, or any other interested person who is in a position to care for the beneficiary.
• Organizational payees: These can include social service agencies, institutions, state or local government agencies, or financial institutions.