URGENT: Tell Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to Extend the Deadline for Economic Impact Payment to Social Security Recipients

From the Coalition on Human Needs (http://www.chn.org):

Tell Secretary Steven Mnuchin: “Treasury’s callous and burdensome deadline will result in Social Security beneficiaries not receiving the full Economic Impact Payment they are owed. We demand that you immediately extend the deadline and make additional efforts to reach and inform Social Security, SSI, and SSDI beneficiaries.”

Sign the petition at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/immediate-action-needed-demand-sec-steven-mnuchin-waive-todays-deadline-for-social-security-recipients.

The U.S. Treasury Department has started delivering $1,200 stimulus checks, plus $500 for dependent children. But, just this week, Treasury announced a plan that would result in roughly 1 million children missing out on their Economic Impact Payment.[1]

On Monday, Treasury announced that anyone receiving Social Security who has a dependent and does not file an annual tax return had less than 48 hours to file an online form in order to receive their dependent pay in 2020. Social Security Disability (SSDI) beneficiaries and railroad retirees face this same unreasonable cut-off. If you miss today’s deadline (noon, Wednesday), you have to wait until 2021! (click here to fill out your form)

By setting an arbitrary 48-hour deadline and providing insufficient web tools that aren’t usable on most cell phones, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin is failing people with disabilities, their children and other Social Security beneficiaries with eligible children or grandchildren. For SSI and Veterans’ beneficiaries, the deadline for filing is expected to be soon, but not yet clearly specified, adding to the confusion.

Sign the petition to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin demanding that this burdensome deadline be immediately extended and that additional efforts be made by Treasury to reach and inform Social Security, SSDI, SSI, and Veterans’ pension beneficiaries.

By providing Social Security recipients with an internet-only solution with an impossibly quick deadline, Treasury is demonstrating its lack of understanding of the circumstances of many older Americans, widows or widowers, veterans, and people with disabilities.

At a time of stay-at-home orders, public libraries are not available for computer and internet needs.

Those with visual impairments have not been accounted for since the web tool provided by Treasury is not compatible with some screen-reader programs.

And, what about those who have no bank accounts or don’t have immediate access to information such as routing numbers, required in the Treasury Department’s web tool?

The administration is showing a lack of care and understanding for Social Security beneficiaries and their families. We must fight back against this callous approach to governing.

Join CHN in demanding that Treasury Secretary Mnuchin immediately extend the deadline and account for the needs of Social Security, SSDI, SSI and Veterans’ pension beneficiaries. Sign the petition today >>>

Thank you for fighting for the rights of those most in need.