On April 6, 2020, the Board wrote to the Commissioner of Social Security, Andrew Saul, to express recognition of the agency’s efforts to protect the public and its employees amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Board also reached bipartisan agreement to urge the agency to address two other issues in its response to the pandemic.
The Board urged the Commissioner, under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (Pub. L. 116-136), to work with the Department of the Treasury to ensure that those who receive SSI but not Social Security also receive relief payments automatically and quickly, without filing any forms. The Board also strongly urged the Commissioner to review the agency’s decision to suspend new representative payee reviews, required under the Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-165). The Board recommended that SSA work with the network of Protection and Advocacy organizations with the goal of maintaining operational capabilities and continuing payee reviews.