Most adults who receive Social Security benefits can handle the money themselves. However, adults who are considered legally incompetent, and most minor children, may need some help. In such cases, the Social Security Administration (SSA) may appoint a representative payee. There are some things that your representative payee cannot do.
Your Representative Payee Cannot Withhold Funds as Punishment
The funds in a beneficiary’s account are to be used for the beneficiary only. Period. The representative payee cannot make decisions about the funds that are not in the best interests of the beneficiary.
A representative payee can never refuse to care for the beneficiary as punishment for something the beneficiary has done.
For example, Carol’s representative payee told her not to talk to certain members of her family. If she did, the representative payee stated she would refuse to buy Carol some clothes that she desperately needed. This representative payee is violating the beneficiary’s trust and can be reported to the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General.
Or Use Funds for Their Own Benefit
The representative payee is expressly forbidden to “use a beneficiary’s funds for their own personal expenses.”
For example, Daniel’s payee used several of his monthly checks to gamble in Las Vegas. Here again, the representative payee may have to answer to the Office of the Inspector General for violating his or her duties.