U.S. Senator Pushes for Comprehensive Background Checks on Representative Payees

Philadelphia, PA - Democratic Senator Bob Casey is proposing a bill intended to finally seal a specific loophole in the Social Security Administration, reports said.

In Casey’s proposed bill, the agency is granted direct access to information on those who apply as a representative payee through thorough background checks similar to what the FBI’s National Crime Information Center does.

According to reports, Casey’s pursuance of the bill is in line with the case of Linda Ann Weston, a former criminal accused of stealing benefits from four mentally challenged adults who were locked on a basement in Frankford, Philadelphia.

Under the Social Security Protection Act of 2004, a person who has been convicted of a crime and has been incarcerated for more than a year is not qualified to become a representative payee.

However, reports said that an SSA review made last year stated that the staff of the administrative leg of the agency fell short in making customary background checks on representative payees.