- Social Security beneficiaries may apply for other benefit programs that use Social Security income to calculate eligibility for benefits. The Veterans Administration pension, Food Stamp and Temporary Assistance to Needy Family programs use SSA benefits for decisions on eligibility and payment amount. The Privacy Act of 1974 requires written consent from individuals before anyone can receive information about their records. The act makes exceptions, however, for routine requests for information needed to administer other government programs. The Privacy Act exception is in section §552a(b)(3) of the law.
- Social Security beneficiaries can request written verification of their monthly income from the agency's website ssa.gov, or by contacting their local SSA office by phone or in person. They may need to provide proof of their identity if visiting in person. SSA mails telephone and online verification requests in about 10 days, and will mail only to the address of record.
- The Social Security form SSA-1099 verifies all income received during a taxable year, and some organizations want this figure rather than the current monthly rate. SSA mails an SSA-1099 to every beneficiary during January of each year, showing gross benefits received, taxes, overpayments, premiums or debt collections withheld, and the net paid to the recipient. If recipients do not receive the form or need an extra copy, the local office can supply one upon request. Beneficiaries may also request one at the agency's website. SSA-1099 forms are available for all past years, but duplicates for the most recent calendar year are unavailable until February following the year's end.
- Some third parties do not qualify to receive verification of a recipient's income without written consent from someone authorized to provide it. Only a competent adult beneficiary or her legal guardian can authorize SSA to provide written verification of income. A spouse, friend, relative or person with power of attorney to handle financial affairs is not automatically a legal guardian and cannot provide consent. Parents with custody are the legal guardians of their minor children.
- Third parties such as loan companies or apartment complexes must provide a properly executed written consent in order to receive income verification directly from Social Security. Social Security Form SSA-3288, Consent for Release of Information, solicits the information necessary to create acceptable consent. However, any form devised by the bank or apartment suffices if it has the beneficiary's name, Social Security number, date of birth, proper signature and date signed, and specifically authorizes SSA to release the information, and specifies to whom. The consent form must state the exact information to be released and the reason for requesting it.
- Under the Privacy Act, an individual can sue Social Security if it negligently discloses information without proper consent. There is a two-year statute of limitations, so SSA offices must maintain copies of all consent statements for two years from the date of providing information. The forms may be stored in the field office that disclosed the information, or added to any paper claims folder the agency maintains for the claimant.
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