The Social Security Administration (SSA) requires periodic reports from all recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. If the SSI recipient has a representative payee, the payee is obligated to make the report. Recipients who are legally incompetent are not responsible for reporting, but their payees are. Required reports must be completed in order for eligibility for SSI benefits and Medicaid to continue.

If any of the following changes occur during the life of an SSI recipient, a report must be made to SSA:

• Moves or changes of address
• Persons moving in or out of the household
• Death of a household member
• Changes in income and resources for recipients and individuals involved in deeming cases. These individuals are:
  • ineligible spouses and ineligible children living with recipients,
  • parents living with eligible children,
  • essential persons,
  • sponsors of aliens and living-with spouses of sponsors, and
  • eligible aliens with the same sponsor.
• Changes in help with living expenses
• Entering or leaving an institution
• Marriage, separation, or divorce (Including any same-sex relationships)
• Leaving the United States for more than 30 days in a row
• Changes in school attendance (if under age 22)
• Death of the recipient or individuals involved in deeming cases
• Fugitive felons status (fleeing prosecution, unsatisfied warrants, probation and parole violation)

Reports of the above changes should include:

• The reporter’s name
• The name and social security number (SSN) of the SSI recipient
• Facts about the change
• When the change happened

Recipients and payees may report in writing, by telephone, or in person at an SSA field office. Form SSA-8150-EV (Reporting Events, SSI) may be used to report in writing, but a letter is sufficient.

Critical Pointer: All communications with SSA should be done in writing and by certified mail. SSA is notorious for losing correspondence and claiming the report was never sent by the recipient/payee and/or received by the agency.

Critical Pointer: The SSI recipient/payee should keep a copy of all reports sent to SSA.

Reports are due within ten (10) days after the end of the month in which the event took place.

If a recipient/payee fails to make a timely report of a change, the recipient may not receive correct benefits when due, be forced to pay back an over-payment, or lose SSI eligibility. Also, SSA requires penalties when SSI recipients fail to report changes on time that adversely affect SSI benefits unless they have good cause for the reporting failure. SSA deducts specific amounts for penalties from Federal SSI payments.

Source:         POMS SI 02301.005; POMS SI 02301.100

For additional information concerning social security disability benefits and SSI appeals, visit: https://vanarellilaw.com/social-security-disability-appeals/