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For most beneficiaries in foster care, we will appoint a representative payee (payee) to receive and manage Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments on the beneficiary’s behalf. We are seeking information from the public on how child welfare agencies currently use Social Security or SSI payments to meet the needs of beneficiaries in foster care. We are also seeking information on what the effects would be if we changed our rules to restrict representative payees’ use of Social Security or SSI benefits to meet the current and foreseeable needs of beneficiaries in foster care, and to instead require that representative payees conserve all or a portion of those benefits for the beneficiaries’ future use.

Since 2021, child welfare advocates, congressional staff, former foster youth, and child welfare agency staff have provided feedback through written correspondence and meetings.