Number:        116-17   
Date:             June 19, 2020

Senate Passes S. 3731, the
“Improving Social Security’s Service to
Victims of Identity Theft Act”

On June 16, 2020, the Senate passed S. 3731, the Improving Social Security’s Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act, without amendment by unanimous consent. Introduced by Senator Chuck Grassley on May 14, 2020, the bill would amend Title VII of the Social Security Act (Act) to require the Social Security Administration (SSA) to establish a single point of contact for any individual whose Social Security number (SSN) has been misused. The bill now moves to the House for consideration.1

S. 3731 includes the following provisions of interest to SSA:

• Would require the Commissioner to establish and implement procedures to ensure that any individual whose SSN has been misused (such as to fraudulently obtain benefits under title II, VIII, or XVI of the Act, or in a manner that affects an individual’s SSA records, or in a manner that prompts the individual to request a new SSN) has a single point of contact at SSA to assist with the case.

• Would require the single point of contact to consist of a team or subset of specially trained individuals2  who are required to:

• track SSN misuse cases to completion and coordinate with other units to resolve cases as quickly as possible; and
  
• be accountable for the case until it is resolved.
  

• Would be effective 180 days after enactment.

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1Representative John Larson, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, introduced an identical bill, H.R. 5446, on December 17, 2019. The bill is currently pending in Ways and Means.

2The employees on the team may change as required to meet the needs of SSA, provided SSA establishes procedures to ensure continuity of records and case history and appropriate notification to the individual.