5927 WARDS Applying to Be Payee for Outside Benefits

Children and youth may be eligible for state, federal or nongovernmental benefit payments. For children and youth who may be eligible but are not currently receiving such benefits, DCF will assist the child in becoming eligible. For children and youth receiving state or federal benefit payments, DCF will apply to be the payee for such benefits unless another payee is identified.

A. Types of Benefits

DCF can request to be payee for the following benefits when a youth is in the custody of the Secretary and placed out of home. The acronyms starting each benefit type below are the acronyms used in the WARDS system.

1. SSA (Social Security Act benefits, officially named Retirement, Survivors, & Disability Insurance benefits, aka RSDI) is paid to a child based on a parent’s retirement, death or disability and is based on the parent’s qualifying work history and eligibility.  Social Security refers to these benefits as Title II (2) benefits.

2. SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is a need-based benefit paid to a child based on the child’s disability.  Social Security refers to these benefits as Title XVI (16) benefits.

3. VA (Veteran Administration) benefits are paid to a child based on their parent’s military service, service-connected disability, or death.

4. RR (Railroad) retirement benefits are paid to a child based on their parent’s history of employment by the railroad or current connection to the railroad.

5. OTH (Other) benefits may include, but are not limited to retirement, disability, or survivor benefits from a private source, or government stimulus checks.

B. Applying for Benefits

When a child might be eligible but is not currently receiving benefits, PPS or Child Welfare Case Management Provider (CWCMP) staff shall apply for benefits on a child's behalf.

1. Applying For SSI.

CWCMP tasks listed below are completed by IL Specialists for youth and young adults aged 18-21 receiving IL services.

a.  CWCMP completes questions 7 to the end of Appendix 5U, Disability Determination Form, and sends the completed form to the PPS eligibility specialist.

b. PPS Eligibility Specialist completes questions 1-6 and forwards Appendix 5U to the CWCMP and the Kansas Legal Services (KLS) office serving the county where the child’s court case is located.

c. PPS Eligibility Specialist, if the child is IV-E eligible, will change the child’s payment eligibility to state funded (AG SSI). See PPM 5912.C.

d. CWCMP will provide KLS with necessary information and documentation as requested.

e. PPS Eligibility Specialists will forward any eligibility decision received directly from SSA to KLS and the CWCMP.

f. PPS Eligibility Specialists will review denials of benefits and KLS recommendations for appeal and either accept the recommendation of KLS or provide additional justification for an appeal.

2. Applying for SSA

If the CWCMP has information which causes them to believe a child may be eligible for income generated from Social Security for a disabled, retired, or deceased parent, they shall contact the FC Liaison in the child’s region who will have a WARDS worker contact Social Security.  

3. Applying for Veteran Benefits

When a child has a parent with military service, the child may have VA benefits based on that parent’s service-connected disability or death. DCF WARDS Worker should initiate a request to confirm eligibility of the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) program by mailing a completed VA Form 21P-534a to:

Department of Veterans Affairs
Pension Intake Center
PO Box 5365
Janesville, WI 53547-5365

4. Applying for Railroad Benefits

Children in custody of the Secretary who have a deceased parent who is a former vested railroad employee may be eligible for a monthly annuity from the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB).  The process to determine eligibility or request to be payee for benefits is to call (877) 772-5772 with the deceased parent’s SSN.

Once eligibility is determined, a child does not lose access to benefit eligibility due to a lack of payee. Benefits for eligible children end when they turn 18 or graduate from high school unless they are determined to have been disabled prior to age 22. If they are determined to have been disabled prior to age 22, benefits are permanent.

Additional Contact Info:

Richard Bolling Federal Building

601 East 12th Street, Room G47
Kansas City, MO 64106

Hours: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Monday through Friday except Federal Holidays

Telephone: (877) 772-5772

Fax: (816) 426-5334

 

C. Representative Payee Recommendation

A representative payee is a person, selected by SSA or another paying agency, to receive and utilize benefits on behalf of the recipient. DCF and CWCMPs may recommend a person be approved as representative payee, however, only the benefit provider can make the final determination. During any time when DCF serves as representative payee for a child in the custody of the Secretary, DCF will conserve the child’s or youth’s benefits in an appropriate account and make the funds available to address otherwise unmet needs of the child or youth.

DCF will apply to become payee of outside benefits for children who enter custody of the Secretary and who are in out of home placement and remain representative payee until either someone else is appointed by the organization providing the benefit or the child achieves permanency.

 

1. CWCMPs and DCF will make inquires to families and caregivers throughout care to locate other individuals or agencies who would be an appropriate representative payee.

2. DCF will consider the following when a recommendation is requested from Social Security Administration regarding a potential representative payee applicant.

1. 1. Is the benefit in question SSI and does the beneficiary have an ABLE account? If yes, has the potential representative payee completed financial management training through the State Treasurers Office or other organization including education about ABLE accounts?
   2. Is the potential representative payee a long-term placement (reference PPM 5233) for the recipient or do they have a relationship with the placement which supports access of the recipient to their funds in an appropriate manner? 
   3. If the potential representative payee is not the current placement, does the current placement wish to become representative payee?
   4. If the potential representative payee is not recommended and no other person or agency is identified, will the child, youth, or young adult lose their benefit eligibility? (NOTE: SSI has the potential to be ended if no representative payee is available after 1 year of inactivity.)
   5. Is the potential representative payee an adult IL residential payee service?

3. DCF will generally recommend that the following be approved by SSA as representative payee:

1. 1. Long term relative or non-related kin placements existing 2 months or longer.
   2. Pre-Adoptive homes, Permanent Custodians or SOUL Custody homes.
   3. Young adults capable of handling their own finances even if they remain in the custody of the Secretary
   4. Long term Medicaid paid placements or adult residential facilities for individuals living with I/DD.
   5. Parents or Caregivers when being payee would support reunification efforts. For example, it would be appropriate to recommend the parent if the child was recently removed and is expected to return home within 30 days, or in situations where financial resources are the sole or largest contributing barrier to reintegration.

4. DCF will generally not recommend that the following be appointed by SSA as a representative payee:

1. 1. Foster homes that are neither relative nor non-related kin placements. If the recipient’s placement provider currently serves as payee, DCF generally will not disrupt this arrangement.
   2. Congregate care facilities
   3. Parents or Caregivers who cannot demonstrate how the funds will be used to directly support the recipient.
   4. Short-Term, Transitional, Overnight, Night-to-Night or Crisis placements as those terms are defined in PPM 5233.

D.  Applying to Become Representative Payee    

1.   Social Security Benefits

By phone: Contact your local Social Security office and provide the child’s name, SSN and DOB, and date child began DCF custody.  Inform Social Security the client is state funded.   

Paper Application: Complete a request to be selected payee applicant.

Benefits are to be made payable to: DCF Children and Family Services for (child’s name). 

2.   Veteran Administration Benefits

A child of a deceased veteran may be eligible to receive a tax-free benefit under the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) program. DCF WARDS Worker should initiate a request to be made payee of this benefit by contacting the Lincoln VA Fiduciary Hub at FIDINQUIRY.VBALIN@va.gov.

3.   Railroad Benefits

For children in custody who receive a monthly annuity from the Railroad Retirement Act, DCF should request to be made payee of those benefits. Contact the Railroad Retirement Board office at the phone number below and request to be made payee:

Richard Bolling Federal Building

601 East 12th Street
Room G47
Kansas City, MO 64106

Hours: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Monday through Friday except Federal Holidays

Telephone: (877) 772-5772

Fax: (816) 426-5334

 E. Representative Payee Actions

1. SCRIPTS - When the DCF PPS Eligibility Specialist is notified DCF will be made payee of a benefit, the worker shall enter the beneficiary’s identifying information in SCRIPTS on the Client Transaction screen.  Should PPS Administration receive information about a beneficiary before the regional office, WARDS Administrator may have already entered the client information; the PPS Eligibility Specialist shall confirm the information entered is correct.

2. Direct Deposit – DCF prefers direct deposits. Have direct deposits go to:     

  Capitol Federal

  Routing # 301171285

  Account # (ask WARDS Administrator) 

There are three accounts managed within WARDS.  Each has a different account number.  You will need to supply both the routing number and account number to set up direct deposit. 

a. Regular Account – SSI and SSA benefits are deposited into this account.

b. Dedicated Account – Large SSI lump sum deposits that Social Security designated as needing to be deposited into a dedicated account go here.

c.  Non-RD (non-Regular or Dedicated) - Veteran Administration, Railroad and all other types of benefits that are not SSI or SSA related are deposited into this account.

3. Paper Checks   

Paper checks, including checks received in local DCF offices, shall be mailed to:

DCF Administration Building

Attn: WARDS Mailbox

555 S. Kansas Ave., 5th Floor

Topeka, KS 66603

 

4. Documentation

1. Logging Within SCRIPTS WARDS – System actions such as approving/disapproving deposits are automatically logged in the WARDS system labeled as an Activity. PPS Eligibility Specialist shall use the system’s logging function to record other transactions with the WARDS accounts such as telephone calls, reasons for actions taken, or to upload receipts (purchases over $100 must have a receipt uploaded to the WARDS expense).   Log notes do not need to be printed routinely; printing of log notes may be used for audits or the worker’s use.

2. Perceptive Content - The DCF PPS Eligibility Specialist shall label and upload all other transactions pertaining to the WARDS accounts within Perceptive Content (KEES) under PPS Forms.  Maintaining this file is important to the agency to prove accountability to the child, the Secretary of DCF, and an auditor. The file shall contain, but is not limited to:  
   1. 1. All communications from the agency issuing the benefit.
      2. All communications from DCF, including e-mails, letters, or phone calls to the issuing agency documented in a log note.