Best Practices for Maintaining an Effective Representative Payee Accounting System | Representative Payee Program

Resource Hub of Representative Payees for Foster Children

The Social Security Administration recognizes that youth in foster care are among the most vulnerable populations we serve. SSA plays an important role in supporting foster youth and protecting their rights. The following foster care resources are available for representative payees, legal guardians, and child welfare agency employees.

Request for Information:

Social Security Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a call for public input on ways to improve outcomes of foster children who are eligible for – or already receive – Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or both. Our goal is to make sure that all children, especially foster youth, receive the benefits for which they are eligible.

We'll use information we gather through this Request for Information, due by December 2, 2024, in considering potential policy changes. For details and instructions, see Docket No. SSA-2024-0038 at www.regulations.gov.

Technical Assistance:

We commend State and Tribal jurisdictions that have already made or are considering changes to how agencies use and conserve Social Security and SSI payments when serving as representative payee for foster youth. We agree that such targeted changes can be an important tool for improving outcomes for foster youth. Over the past two years, we have supported these efforts by working with jurisdictions to provide technical assistance. For more information, see A Message to State Child Welfare Agencies.

Foster Care Data Exchanges:

SSA is required by law to establish data sharing arrangements with State and Tribal agencies to receive timely data on when children enter or exit the foster care system. These exchanges help protect child beneficiaries by letting SSA know quickly when there is a need to remove or replace a child’s payee. For those that are currently sharing foster care data with SSA, we thank you. For those that are not, we encourage you to participate in this very important program. We invite State and Tribal agencies that may have questions about, or are interested in, participating in the exchange program to please contact us at ORDP.Data.Exchange@ssa.gov.

Communications:

Publications:

Helpful Links:

Spotlight On SSI Benefits For Disabled Or Blind Youth In Foster Care

SSA Policy:

When People Need Help Managing Their Money