Anyone who wishes to receive benefits as a representative payee must complete the SSA-11. Representative payee applications must be processed through the eRPS. You may take a payee application using the paper form SSA-11-BK. In rare situations, when the application cannot be processed through eRPS (i.e., a parent payee who cannot be assigned an SSN), see manual processing instructions GN 00502.190.

One payee application applies for all benefits payable to the beneficiary if the decisions will be made at the same time. If an applicant is currently serving as payee for one type of benefit and another type is subsequently awarded, a separate representative payee application is needed from the payee for the subsequent benefit. Appoint the same payee for all types of benefits. Remember to follow proper advance notice procedures GN 00503.100. 

When a beneficiary, who has a representative payee, requests direct payment, you need to interview the beneficiary (preferably face-to-face) to reevaluate their capability per GN 00502.020A.5. and GN 00502.055. You also need to contact the beneficiary's current payee to obtain their input regarding whether or not the beneficiary is now capable of managing or directing someone else to manage their benefits. Make a capability determination based on all the evidence you gather or provided to you. If you decide the beneficiary is now capable of managing or directing someone else to manage their own benefits, the beneficiary must complete an SSA-11 using the eRPS. The eRPS generates the appropriate application. If the SSA-11 cannot be processed in the eRPS, only answer questions 1, 3, 5, 6 and 8 on the SSA-11-BK.

EXCEPTION: An SSA-11 is not needed to convert a student child beneficiary to direct pay at age 18, nor to convert an SSI recipient to direct pay at age 18. An SSA-11 is required for converting a CDB who is capable to direct pay at age 18. However, if capability must be developed, you must obtain all needed documentation, see GN 00502.075 and GN 00504.105.

Use the information obtained on the application to evaluate the payee applicant's qualifications and suitability to serve as payee. You can also use the information provided to determine whether any other potential payees are available. In addition, the eRPS will display any known information about the payee's past performance as payee and past criminal information that had been recorded. This information is provided so that you can make a well-informed decision about the applicant's suitability, refer to GN 00502.132.

REMINDER: Be alert to situations that may indicate any type of disqualifying or fraudulent activity.

If you doubt any information the applicant provides, obtain additional information that would verify the applicant's answer(s) to any question(s). You may need to contact a reliable third party to obtain the additional information.

To document in eRPS, use the Rep Payee Applicant “Note Type” on the Make Note screen or outside of eRPS use an SSA-5002, Report of Contact. Document your reasons for appointing as payee any applicant whose suitability raises a concern, see MS 07416,002. Also, you should prepare a 3-month diary to follow-up on the payee's performance; use the Add New Issue screen in the eRPS, see MS 07408,007, or another reliable source.

The eRPS produces an abbreviated application when the applicant is a parent with custody of a minor child or a spouse with custody. When the applicant is already serving as the beneficiary's payee for one type of benefit, the system pre-fills the application to serve for another type of benefit.

If the application cannot be processed in the eRPS, complete only items 2 through 5, 9, 12, 18 and 19 of the SSA-11BK if the applicant is:

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  A parent with custody of a minor child;

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  A spouse with custody;

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  Already serving as the beneficiary's payee for one type of benefit and the beneficiary is now being awarded another type of benefit; or

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  The beneficiary's court-appointed voluntary conservator, see GN 00502.139A.4.

Effective 11/19/05, changes made to the eRPS allow the expanded use of signature proxy for those applications taken via eRPS. Signature proxy can be used on applications filed by individual payee applicants or by officers/agents of an organizational payee applicant.

Effective 11/19/05 all representative payee applications (SG-SSA-11) taken via the eRPS are stored electronically in the Online Retrieval System (ORS), refer to GN 00201.015 and GN 00502.110.

In those rare cases when eRPS cannot be used and a paper SSA-11 was taken, SSA stores the SSA-11 after all processing actions have been taken through the NDRed by using the Evidence Portal (EP) or Electronic Disability Claims Folder (eDIB) e.g., for disability claims; fax the SSA-11 into the electronic folder, see GN 00301.322).