Despite trusting your disability beneficiary to do the right thing, you might be surprised to find out that some beneficiaries abuse their power. If you feel like you are not receiving the Pennsylvania disability benefits you were promised, then your beneficiary could be the reason. Figuring this out is the hard part and finding evidence can be more difficult. Consider asking a Pennsylvania individual disability insurance attorney for help if this happened to you. You might be able to gain back control.

All About Disability Beneficiaries and How They Are Chosen

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has certain rules for deciding whether to accept someone as your disability benefits beneficiary. A disability benefits beneficiary can be one of your loved ones or an organization. Whether you chose an individual or an organization, both can abuse your benefits.

All beneficiaries have to do through an application process. This may involve providing bank information, addresses, and other personal details. The SSA will check whether your representative payee has ever been a payee in the past. An interview with your payee could be required depending on whether they have been a payee before.

The selection of a representative payee is important. Not only do you want to choose someone you can trust, but the SSA feels the same way. This is why the SSA does not select payees who:

• Violated Social Security rules in the past
• Misused benefits in the past
• Has been in prison for a year or longer
• Works as a creditor and this could cause harm to you

If you think you made a mistake and chose the wrong payee, you can request a change of your payee. Consider contacting a Pennsylvania disability lawyer if you have questions about how to do this.

My Disability Beneficiary is Abusing My Benefits

Misuse and abuse of disability benefits happen when your disability money has been used for the beneficiary’s needs. Your disability money is supposed to be used for things you need like food, shelter, and clothing.

You might find out that your disability benefits have been abused by your beneficiary. This can be disheartening to discover, especially if your beneficiary is a trusted family member. The good news is you can change your representative payee to someone else or an organization.

Actions can be taken when the disability benefits abuse happens. You can file a complaint with the SSA and the SSA will investigate your situation. Someone from the SSA may visit the beneficiary or call them for an explanation. If misuse is proven, the SSA can remove that person as your beneficiary and take legal action. Criminal charges can be filed, and you could receive compensation.

Disability Lawyer in Pennsylvania

Finding out your disability beneficiary was abusing your benefits can be devastating. Talk to a Pennsylvania disability lawyer if your disability benefits have been abused. You can contact Edelstein Martin & Nelson today by dialing (800) – 300 – 0909 for a consultation about your situation. Our legal team of Pennsylvania disability attorneys can help you switch beneficiaries if your beneficiary is not working out for you.