Emergency advance payments (EAPs) and Immediate Payments (IPs) are two ways to make
payments to persons via Third Party Draft who are due SSI benefits and have a financial
emergency. EAPs are made under statutory authority. IPs were set up to help individuals
who do not qualify for EAPs. They both address the situation where certification to
Treasury for regular payments, automated one-time payments (A-OTPs), or manual one-time
payments (M-OTPs), cannot be made or would not be fast enough. See SM 01901.000 for
discussion of A-OTPs and M-OTPs. The EAP and IP are advances against future SSI payments
and must be recovered; they are not additional money due the SSI recipient. You are
required to make EAPs and IPs when the criteria for them are met.