Accountability of a representative payee.

§ 266.7 Accountability of a representative payee. (a) A representative payee is accountable for the use of benefits. The Board will require periodic written reports from representative payees. The Board may also, at the Board's option, verify how a representative payee used benefit payments. A representative payee must keep records of what was done with all benefit payments in order to make accounting reports. The Board may ask the following questions: (1) The amount of benefit payments on hand at the beginning of the accounting period; (2) How the benefit payments were used; (3) How much of the benefit payments were saved and how the savings were invested; (4) Where the annuitant lived during the accounting period; (5) The amount of the annuitant's income from other sources during the accounting period. The Board may ask for information about other funds to enable the Board to evaluate the use of benefit payments; and (6) Whether the representative payee has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor offense under the statutes administered by the Board or by the Social Security Administration within the past 15 years or whether any such charges are pending. (b) An individual to whom payments are certified as representative payee on behalf of an annuitant shall submit a written report in such form and at such times as the Board may require, accounting for the payments certified to him or her on behalf of the annuitant. If, however, such payee is a court-appointed fiduciary and, as such, is required to make an annual accounting to the court, a true copy of each such account filed with the court may be submitted in lieu of the accounting form prescribed by the Board. If any representative payee fails to submit the required accounting within a reasonable period of time after it is requested, no further payments shall be made to him or her on behalf of the annuitant unless for good cause shown, the default of the representative payee is excused by the Board, and the required accounting is thereafter submitted. (c) At any time after the Board has selected a representative payee, the Board may ask such payee to submit information showing a continuing relationship to the annuitant and a continuing responsibility for the care of the annuitant. If the representative payee does not give the Board the requested information within a reasonable period of time, the Board may stop paying such payee unless the Board determines that the payee had a good reason for not complying with the Board's request, and the Board receives the information requested. (d) Where, pursuant to paragraph (b) or (c) of this section, the Board suspends payments, such suspension shall not exceed a period of 30 days; thereafter, the payments will be made to the annuitant except where the annuitant is an unemancipated minor under age 18 or where in the Board's judgment the interests of the annuitant would not be served by releasing payment to the annuitant. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control numbers 3220-0052 and 3220-0151)