95-31161. Notice of Meeting of the Representative Payment Advisory Committee

[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 246 (Friday, December 22, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66573-66574]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-31161]



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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

Notice of Meeting of the Representative Payment Advisory 
Committee

    Date and Time: February 15, 1996, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; February 16, 1996, 
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
    Place: Environmental Protection Agency Classrooms, 75 Hawthorne 
Street, First Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105.
    Type of Meeting: The meeting is open to the public.
    Purpose: In accordance with section 10(a)(2) of the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act, the Social Security Administration (SSA) 
announces the fourth meeting of the Representative Payment Advisory 
Committee. The Committee will discuss issues related to payee 
selection, payee recruitment and retention, standards for payee 
performance and payee oversight. The Committee will focus its 
discussion on use/misuse of benefits and accountability. The Committee 
is also interested in the value of automated accounting systems to 
track expenditures on behalf of beneficiaries as well as funds 
conserved for future use.
    Current guidelines on the use of benefits clearly distinguish 
acceptable uses of benefits from misuse. However, SSA is interested in 
learning if additional guidance on choosing the most appropriate among 
several acceptable uses of benefits is necessary or appropriate. 
Increasingly, SSA is being asked to resolve disputes concerning use of 
benefits, especially in balancing current maintenance costs and needs 
against possible future needs.
    Payee accountability also is an area in which SSA would be helped 
by external views. For some years, SSA has required an annual 
accounting by all payees except certain State custodial institutions 
which are subject to an onsite review process. The form used for this 
accounting elicits information from the payee about how benefits were 
used during the 12-month report period (including any savings or 
investments); whether any changes occurred in the beneficiary's living 
arrangement or custody which could affect entitlement or benefit 
amount; and other information related to the payee's continued 
suitability. The process is expensive, currently costing about $60 
million yearly and has been criticized as cumbersome for the agency and 
payees alike.
    The representative payment program is so critical to the well being 
of SSA's most vulnerable beneficiaries that its continuous improvement 
is of compelling national interest. One in six 

[[Page 66574]]
Americans receives benefits from SSA, and about one in eight of those 
has a representative payee. Among supplemental security income 
beneficiaries, one in three has payee. The appropriate use and 
management of benefits is important in helping beneficiaries, 
especially younger disabled persons, to gain or regain their 
independence and productivity, and it is essential to ensure that all 
beneficiaries live with the security and dignity that the benefits are 
meant to provide.
    Agenda: The Committee will meet commencing at 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on 
Thursday, February 15, 1996 with a break for dinner, and from 9 a.m. to 
5 p.m. on Friday, February 16, 1996. Agenda items for both days will 
include, but not be limited to, a discussion concerning payees' use of 
benefits, standards for payee performance and payee oversight. Oral 
statements on these issues or any issue concerning representative 
payment policy are sought from the public for presentation on February 
16. Presentations will be limited to 5 minutes per public speaker.
    Persons interested in presenting oral statements may call the 
Advisory Committee staff at [phone] to schedule a presentation 
time or they may submit a written request, along with a copy of their 
statement, to the Representative Payment Advisory Committee, 2-N-24 
Operations Building, P.O. Box 17763, Baltimore, MD 21203-7763. Requests 
should contain the name, address, telephone number and any business or 
professional affiliation of the person desiring to make an oral 
statement. Groups having similar interests are requested to combine 
their comments and present them through a single representative. The 
allocation of time may be adjusted to accommodate the level of 
expressed interest. The Representative Payment Advisory Committee will 
notify each presenter by mail or telephone of their assigned 
presentation time. Persons who do not make a written or oral request 
for presentation in advance, but desire to make an oral statement, may 
sign up at the meeting site before noon on February 16. These persons 
will be allowed to present their oral statements as time permits. The 
Committee also welcomes written comments. They may be sent to the 
Representative Payment Advisory Committee at 2-N-24 Operations 
Building, P.O. Box 17763, Baltimore, MD 21203-7763.
    Records are being kept of all Committee proceedings, and are 
available for public inspection at the office of the Representative 
Payment Advisory Committee, Room 2-N-24, Operations Building, 6401 
Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 
4 p.m. on regular business days. Anyone requiring information regarding 
the Committee should contact the Representative Payment Advisory 
Committee at P.O. Box 17763, Baltimore, MD 21203-7763; Telephone: (410) 
966-4688; FAX: [phone]; Internet: [e-mail].

    Dated: December 14, 1995.
Reba Andrew,
Staff Director, Representative Payment Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 95-31161 Filed 12-21-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4190-29-P