2.2 ObtainltiK Information From Beneficiaries 



PROBLEM: Beneficiaries may tend to not report events which may affect their 

 monthlv benefits. Under the provisions of the Social Security Act, it is the 

 responsibility of the beneficiary to notify the SSA of any event which may 

 affect his monthly benefit. Since a beneficiary will not personally receive 

 his monthly benefit payment if he is paid by credit to his account in a 

 financial organization, he may forget this reporting requirement. 



FINDINGS: An examination of suspended and terminated cases (described in 

 Survey Techniques, page 29) disclosed that beneficiaries do report events 

 which affect their payment status even though they are he In?, paid at Finan- 

 cial organizations. In at least W of the cases examined, the event involver 

 had been reported on a timely basis. The survey of power-of-attomey bene- 

 ficiaries disclosed a possible problem with beneficiaries whose payments are 

 made at a financial organization but who are residing abroad. The Treasury 

 is concerned since some of these beneficiaries mav be residing in countries 

 that are not authorized to receive U. S. dollars. Beneficiaries are required 

 to but do not alwavs, advise the SSA of moves outside the U. S. A. The sur- 

 vey discloses that,' overall, 35Z of the beneficiaries who moved last year 

 notified SSA. 



Figure 2.2 depicts these and other findings. 



CONCLUSION: The extent to which power-of-attomey beneficiaries are currentl 

 on' their own initiative, advising the SSA of events which affect their monthl 

 benefits is entirely adequate, and no special safeguards need be developed. 

 Presently, beneficiaries are not required to report changes of address within 

 the U. S., and the low frequency with thich they advise the SSA of such chatlg 

 of home addresses is a concern. However, since it was concluded with respect 

 to Troblem 2.1, Providing Information to Beneficiaries , that the capability 

 to secure and maintain the current mailing addresses of beneficiaries must 

 be developed, it follows that under a direct-deposit system beneficiaries 

 must be required to advise the SSA of changes of addresses. In addition, the 

 capability to periodically verify address information will assure the ful- 

 fillment of maintenance requirements and will provide address information nee 

 sary to assure the propriety of payments made to beneficiaries now residing 

 outside the U. S., or who make such moves in the future and do not voluntaril 

 advise the SSA of such moves. 



-12- 



