Third stimulus checks and Social Security: Reps ‘alarmed’ at lack of payments, speed for SSI, veterans
Nearly 30 million people are impacted, according to Congressional leaders
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WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — The Social Security Administration transmitted payment information for nearly 30 million to the IRS to get stimulus checks out the door after several Congressional leaders said they were “alarmed” at the lack of payments.
Beneficiaries of Social Security, SSI (Supplemental Security Income), Veterans Affairs and Railroad Retirement Board haven’t received their third checks and still have no estimated timeline on when they will get payments.
Already about 90 million people have received their third wave of stimulus checks, according to a joint letter to the heads of the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration.
“However, we were alarmed to learn recently that most Social Security, SSI, RRB, and VA beneficiaries who are not required to file a tax return have not yet received their payments and that the IRS is unable to provide an expected timeline for these payments,” said Reps. Richard Neal (D-MA), John Larson (D-CT), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and Danny Davis (D-IL) in the letter sent earlier this week.
On Wednesday, the group sent a follow-up letter to Social Security Administration Commissioner Andrew Saul after learning the agency hasn’t sent the necessary payment files to the IRS, delaying the payments of nearly 30 million people.
“We are aware that the IRS asked SSA to start sending payment files two weeks before the American Rescue Plan became law on March 11, 2021,” they wrote Wednesday. “As of today, SSA still has not provided the IRS with the payment files that are needed to issue EIPs to these struggling Americans. We demand that you immediately provide the IRS this information by tomorrow, March 25, 2021.”
The SSA responded at 8:48 a.m. (EDT), according to the Congressional leaders, saying they had sent the info to the IRS.
“We are gratified that the SSA leadership finally recognized the urgency of the moment and acted swiftly on our ultimatum,” the group said in a joint statement Thursday.
They said the delays “defied congressional intent” and gave needless anxiety to taxpayers.
“Now the IRS needs to do its job and get these overdue payments out to suffering Americans. Further delays will not be tolerated by this committee,” the members of Congress said.
They also praised the work of SSA’s public servants.
The IRS has not confirmed the official payment date. Social Security recipients will get the payment the same way they would normally receive Social Security benefits.
You can check the status of your payment using the IRS Get My Payment Tool.
“The American Rescue Plan was intended to provide much-needed economic stimulus and assistance to people across the country – immediately – and we are counting on your agencies to ensure that beneficiaries are not left behind in the seamless delivery of those payments. Some of our most vulnerable seniors and persons with disabilities, including veterans who served our country with honor, are unable to pay for basic necessities while they wait for their overdue payments,” the members wrote in the Monday letter.
They had originally set a deadline for the IRS to set a timeline by Friday, but in the latest letter, the members of Congress called on the Social Security Administration to provide details by Thursday.
