SSA - POMS: GN 02408.302 - Abandon Reclamation Request Needed on a Check

A. Background

Occasionally, there is a need to ask the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) to abandon (reverse) a reclamation request. This can occur when an erroneous death or erroneous date of death is posted to the beneficiary’s or recipient’s record. Although the payee was alive and actually due the payment(s), Treasury reclaims the money based on our incorrect E-stop input for each check issued after the alleged date of death.

To stop Treasury from processing the reclamation on the bank account, we send Treasury an abandon reclamation request.

If the error is realized before the money is reclaimed from the financial institution (FI), Treasury tells the FI to ignore (abandon) the reclamation request.

If the error is realized after the money is reclaimed, the abandon reclamation request authorizes Treasury to reverse the reclamation and reimburse the bank for the money improperly reclaimed.

B. Procedure for situations requiring abandon reclamations

1. Erroneous date of death

A date of death (DOD) is sometimes input in error, or the beneficiary/recipient is deceased, but the wrong DOD was input. When an incorrect DOD is input, checks may be cashed that the beneficiary or recipient was entitled to, but because of the incorrect DOD the funds were reclaimed from the presenting financial institution (FI).

EXAMPLE 1: Mr. Jones died on 03/12/22, but their date of death was incorrectly input as 01/12/22. Because E-stop death reclamations posted to their record for the February and March 2022 payments, their FI was debited for those two checks. Mr. Jones was entitled to those checks and received the funds. The FI is out the money and should be reimbursed by SSA by processing an abandon reclamation. We request an abandon reclamation for the two checks using the procedures found in this section at GN 02408.302C.

EXAMPLE 2: Mr. Smith contacted us on 03/25/22 to provide their new address. Mr. Smith's benefits were terminated with an erroneous death input. Mr. Smith received their 04/03/22 check and cashed it at their FI. Because we erroneously terminated Mr. Smith's benefits, an E-stop death reclamation posted to their record for the 04/03/22 check and Treasury reclaimed the funds from the FI. The FI, in turn, debited Mr. Smith's account. We should request an abandon reclamation for the 04/03/22 check using the procedures found in this section at GN 02408.302C. Treasury reverses the reclamation and returns the money to the FI. The FI credits the money back to Mr. Smith's account.

2. Preventing erroneous underpayment release when correcting Title XVI erroneous date of death

When a Title XVI erroneous date of death causes payments the recipient is due to be reclaimed incorrectly, the payments may or may not post to the SSR by the time we realize the error.

Before we ask Treasury to abandon reclamation, we review the SSR carefully to determine if the credit for the reclamation is posted. Credits for the reclaimed funds are posted in PMTH in payflag 3 as an “S” and in payflag 5 as an “R”.

a. When the credit is posted for improperly reclaimed funds, prevent the release of an erroneous underpayment.

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Post a “U TAC” on the recipient’s SSR, see SM 01311.355.
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Process an abandon reclamation request per GN 02408.302C in this section.

NOTE:

Posting the “U TAC” prevents the release of an erroneous underpayment to the recipient after Treasury processes the abandon reclamation. When the “U TAC” is not posted, an erroneous underpayment is released to the recipient making him or her overpaid.

b. When the credit is not posted, process an abandon reclamation request per GN 02408.302C in this section.

3. Checks cashed that were issued after death of the beneficiary/recipient

When an incorrect payment has been issued after death, occasionally Treasury reclaims the funds from the FI and the family member who cashed/deposited the check(s), thinking the deceased was due the money, also returns the money to SSA. The following scenarios occur:

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The FI debits the account for the amount reclaimed, sometimes causing checks to be returned for insufficient funds.

NOTE:

Although penalties or overdraft fees may be assessed to the account because of insufficient funds, SSA is unable to reimburse for these fees. Often the bank waives the fees if we call and explain what happened.
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A family member protests stating he or she has repaid the amount to SSA.
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The bank does not debit the account, but calls SSA and requests that we return the amount reclaimed because we have already received the money back from the family member.

Request an abandon reclamation by using the procedures found in this section at GN 02408.302C.

IMPORTANT:

Treasury asks that we return the funds by completing and emailing the abandon reclamation form to them. Treasury prefers that the funds return through the same channel in which they were initially obtained. In normal abandon reclamation scenarios, Treasury does not want us to issue a special payment to the FI.

C. Procedure for abandoning a reclamation request

See GN 02408.800 to abandon a reclamation request for Title II or Title XVI payments made by direct deposit.

1. Abandoning a reclamation request for a Title XVI case

Title XVI abandonment actions are completed by Central Office's Office of Benefit Accounting and Systems Analysis. If the field office determines that a Title XVI abandonment action is needed the technician should e-mail the request to OBASA.TOB@ssa.gov. No further action is needed after the e-mail is sent. Be sure to include in the e-mail the field office's information, and information about the technician requesting the abandonment action. Also include:

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the payment/check number and symbol;
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the name and SSN of the beneficiary/recipient;
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the date and amount of the check; and
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the reason for abandoning the reclamation.

2. Abandoning a reclamation request for a Title II case

Title II abandonment actions are completed by the Program Service Centers. To complete the Title II abandonment request, follow instructions found in GN 02408.635.B.1 to input an abandonment request using the Treasury Online Forms Requestor (TOFR) application request. The TOFR application is available nationally on the KCNET's MAMPSC Data Input Page.

After making the abandon reclamation request, code the SSA-4208 to update the Accounts Receivable System (ARS). For SSA-4208 instructions, see SM 00609.875.

D. References

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GN 02408.800 Abandon Reclamation - EFT
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GN 02408.635 Reclamation Documentation Request Process for Title II Reclamations - PSC Instructions
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SM 00609.875 How to Complete Form SSA-4208 for Corrections

Social Security

Program Operations Manual System (POMS)

GN 02408.302 Abandon Reclamation Request Needed on a Check