Today, Congresswoman Moore sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul raising concerns about the May 5th deadline for Supplemental Security Income (SSI beneficiaries) with dependents who do not file tax returns to register on the IRS non-filer portal to receive the full payment and called for an extended deadline to ensure every eligible SSI beneficiary has adequate time to provide information needed. Congresswoman Moore also called for additional accommodation for Social Security and Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) beneficiaries with dependents who did not register by the April 22nd deadline. In response, Congresswoman Moore released the following statement:
“I am seriously concerned about the rollout process of the Economic Impact Payments for the most vulnerable. First, Social Security and RRB beneficiaries were given a mere two-day notice that they needed to go online and provide information to receive payments for dependents that they may be entitled to under the law.
Now, more vulnerable Americans are being forced to shoulder the burden of another rushed deadline. SSI beneficiaries have less than a week to get online to input information in the IRS non-filer portal so that they can get the extra $500 payment for each dependent they are owed. Millions of Americans are struggling, including individuals and families in my district, and they are counting on these funds to keep food on the table and pay bills. And this series of rushed deadlines has created confusion and, now, will likely cause those who need relief the most to lose out.
The Administration must not continue making decisions that fail to consider Americans’ unique needs, especially when providing relief during an economic crisis. For instance, there was little communication tailored to our country’s diverse communities – the first deadline expired before the IRS had even created a Spanish language version of its non-filer portal – or consideration made for those who lack access to the Internet.
I am calling on the IRS and Treasury Department to extend the upcoming deadline for SSI recipients to go online to register in order to receive the payment for any dependents they are entitled to under the law. I am also calling on the agency to allow all SSA beneficiaries with dependents who miss the unreasonable and unnecessary deadlines to be given another opportunity to get access to these funds this year. Otherwise, they will have to wait until they can file a tax return in 2021 to get the $500 for each dependent. And the agencies, SSA and IRS, must significantly improve their outreach to these vulnerable individuals to ensure that no one misses out.”
