SI 02306.010 Change of Address or Residence

A. Introduction

A change of address or residence is important for the following reasons:

•

It is very important to receive and maintain current address and residence information on the recipient’s record to ensure proper check delivery and correctness of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payment amount. Processing a change of address (COA) or residence request promptly will help alleviate any problems affecting the recipient’s payment and Medicaid eligibility, such as nonreceipts and overpayments due to changes in living arrangements.
•

A COA or residence may be interstate (from one State to another) or intrastate (from one address to another with the same State). A different procedure exists for processing each type of report.
•

A COA or residence may indicate that a change in circumstances has occurred which may affect continuing SSI eligibility or payment amount. For example, there may be changes in living arrangements, marital status, federally administered State supplementation, in-kind support and maintenance, and resources (e.g., home ownership).

NOTE: Different instructions apply when an individual is temporarily absent from a Federal living arrangement. This is discussed further in SI 02306.010B.3. See SI 00835.040. Also, be aware of situations where a recipient is placed by a State agency in an out-of-state facility and the recipient remains a resident of the placing State.
•

A COA or residence must be input before the current operating month's recurring tape cutoff to direct the next regular recurring SSI payment to the new address on time. If the change cannot be made by the next check, the field office (FO) should take immediate action to determine the new residence and living arrangement. The individual’s Medicaid coverage is affected by the State and county code as shown in the Computation History (CMPH) segment of the supplemental security record (SSR). In Modernized SSI Claim System (MSSICS), the proper state and county code should be shown on the LRES screen.

NOTE:See SM 01305.530 for additional information necessary for systems input if the input is made after the Goldberg-Kelly cutoff date and the check amount will be reduced.

B. Procedure

1. Acceptable Reports

See SI 02301.010 for instructions on processing first and third party reports of change. See SI 02301.005 for instructions on recipient reporting responsibilities. See SI 02301.240 for instructions on processing whereabouts unknown.

2. PS-3547- Change of Address

The PS-3547 (Change of Address) is a third party report of address change. Mid America Program Service Center (MAMPSC) routes these reports to the servicing FO for processing. Attempt to associate all PS Form 3547s with an SSA record. If after using available options (e.g., Treasury Check Verification Query (TCVQ), paper folders, etc.), a Form PS 3547 cannot be associated with an SSA record, it can be destroyed. Program Service Centers (PSC) and FOs do NOT pay the $0.70 postal charge for the “Address Service Requested” endorsement.

3. Intrastate COA Reports

To process a permanent intrastate (move within a State) COA or residence report, take the following steps:

STEP	ACTION
1	Determine if COA or residence results in other changes in circumstances that affect eligibility or payment amount.
2	Develop any breakpoints (SI 00835.510) that occurred since the latest of the following: • Month of application; • First month of eligibility; • Month of supplemental SSA-8000-BK (Application for SSI) or update; • Initiation date of the last redetermination; or • The first day of the month the most recent COA was reported.
3	Can a “change” or “no change” determination be made for all factors that may affect eligibility or payment amount prior to the recurring payment tape cutoff date? • If YES, input the new address, living arrangement (LA) information, and any other change information at the same time. • If NO, go to STEP 4.
4	Even though you have not made a determination regarding all factors, can the new address and LA determination be input prior to the recurring payment tape cutoff date? • If YES, input the new address and LA information. If the new address is in the service area of another FO, refer the case to the new FO via the DWO1 in MSSICS or the Modernized Development Worksheet (MDW) if the case is not in MSSICS. Advise the new office that a new mailing address was input, and describe what LA development and other development is still necessary. If the new address is in your service area, go to STEP 6. • If NO, go to STEP 5.
5	If determination cannot be made before the recurring payment tape cutoff date, do the following: • Input the new mailing and new residence address via MSSICS or SSA-1719B (SSI Post Eligibility Data Input), using the old Federal living arrangement (FLA) and optional State Supplementation (OSS) codes. If the recipient has moved to a new service area, refer the case to the new FO via the DWO1 in MSSICS or the MDW if the case is not in MSSICS. Advise the new office that a new mailing address was input, but LA development is still necessary. SM 01301.525 addresses FLA field inputs by SSA-1719B and SM 01301.535 addresses OSS inputs via SSA-1719B. NOTE: In the State of Vermont, input the new OSS code compatible with the new county of residence. • Advise the recipient or representative payee to notify the Postal Service of the COA and remind the applicant that forwarding of mail to a new address could delay delivery of the next check. • If the recipient or representative payee is canceling direct deposit of the checks, caution the applicant not to close the bank account until after receipt of a check at the new address or in the new bank account. • If the recipient is in your service area, go to STEP 6.
6	Develop possible changes. Make any FLA and OSS corrections as soon as possible. Did development result in “changes”? • If YES, input the change information and develop possible overpayments or underpayments. • If NO, no further action is required. Close MSSICS event or transmit SSA-1719B, if necessary.

4. Interstate COA or Residence Reported To FO in New State

Complete the following steps when processing an interstate COA or residence request to a new State:

a.

Check MSSICS and the SSR (e.g., the Case Characteristics field (SM 01301.820) and the Special Message field (SM 00514.035)) to see if any special rules affecting eligibility or payment amount were applied in the old State (SI 01410.001A.2.). Follow the instructions in SI 02306.010B.3.
b.

If you are unable to determine the new LA before the recurring tape cutoff, input the new mailing address and the former residence address including the State and county code, the FLA code and OSS code for the former State (SI 01410.010). Take immediate action to develop the new residence and living arrangement so the correct residence information can be updated to the CMPH segment of the SSR in a timely manner.

5. Interstate COA or Residence Reported to Old Servicing FO or Teleservice Center (TSC)

Follow the procedure below to process a permanent change of address or residence to a new State if information is being reported to the old servicing FO or TSC:

•

Advise the recipient that more information is needed and that he/she will be contacted by the new servicing office. Provide the recipient the new servicing office address and business phone number.
•

If the COA will be input after the recurring tape cutoff, advise the recipient to notify the Postal Service of the COA. Also, remind him/her that forwarding of mail to a new address could delay delivery of the next check.
•

If the recipient is canceling direct deposit of the checks, caution him/her not to close the bank account until after receipt of a check at the new address or in the new account.
•

Input the new mailing address and the former residence address including the State and county code, the FLA code, and OSS code for the former State; or

At the option of local FO management, or if directed by regional instructions, input the new mailing and new residence addresses if you have enough information to determine the new FLA and OSS codes.

NOTE: If a recipient has a representative payee who lives separately, the recipient's new mailing address is entered in the residence address (RA) field. Enter the recipient's actual State and county code of residence in the LA field.
•

Refer the case to the new FO via the DWOI in MSSICS or the MDW if the case is not in MSSICS. Advise the new office that a new mailing address was input, but LA development is still necessary.

NOTE: The new servicing office should contact the recipient to complete any outstanding development as soon as possible after the recipient's arrival in the new State.

C. References

•

SI 00835.000 Living Arrangements and In-kind Support and Maintenance,
•

SI 01410.001 Eligibility for State Supplementary Payments,
•

SI 01410.010 State of Residence for State Supplementation and Medicaid Programs
•

SM 01301.525 Federal Living Arrangement Codes
•

SM 01301.535 Optional State Supplementation
•

SM 01301.365 SO Field - Systems Override
•

SM 01301.390 Mailing Address (AD/AM)
•

SM 01301.485 RA Fields - Residence Address
•

SM 01301.820 Case Characteristics Code
•

SM 01601.460 Case Redetermination Data-CRZD
•

SM 01701.010 Payment Tapes and Cutoff Dates

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0502306010

SI 02306.010 - Change of Address or Residence - 09/26/2006
Batch run: 11/04/2024
Rev:09/26/2006

Social Security

Program Operations Manual System (POMS)