Effective Dates: 11/01/2023 - Present Previous | Next

TN 35 (11-23)

GN 02613.500 Reinstating Benefits

NOTE: Refer to the chart for the action required.

Court Case

Action

Martinez Settlement

On April 1, 2009, SSA changed its policy of not paying fleeing felons. Follow the instructions below only for felony warrants with offense codes 4901, 4902, or 4999. Follow the Martinez settlement instructions in GN 02613.860 – GN 02613.885 for all other felony warrant codes.

Clark Court Order

On May 9, 2011, SSA changed its policy and no longer suspends or denies benefits or payments based solely on a probation or parole violation warrant (i.e., warrants with offense codes 5011, 5012, 8101, 8102, or 9999 or “Blank” and an offense charge symbol of “probation or parole violation”). Follow the Clark Court Order instructions in GN 02615.100 – GN 02615.190 for all probation or parole violation warrants.

We will make additional changes to this section, as necessary, in the future.

A. Policy – warrant is satisfied

1. Reinstating benefits after a period of suspension

Reinstate benefits effective with the first month throughout which the individual does not have:

  • •

    an active arrest warrant pending for a crime that carries a penalty of death or confinement of more than 1 year, (i.e. felony), or

  • •

    a warrant pending for violation of a condition of parole or probation.

NOTE: The period of time between the date the warrant was issued, or 1/1/2005 or the date of entitlement to Title II benefits, whichever date is later, and the date the warrant was satisfied (i.e., the official date the court or the agency terminated the arrest warrant), will be a period of fugitive felon or probation or parole violator suspension. Reinstate Title II benefits the month after the month, the warrant is satisfied because fugitive felon or probation or parole violator suspension no longer applies.

2. Proof the warrant is satisfied

If the individual alleges there is no outstanding warrant, they must:

  • •

    provide official evidence from the warrant-issuing agency or court, or

  • •

    present documentation showing that the warrant was satisfied and the date it was satisfied.

a. Preferred evidence that a warrant is satisfied

The documentation must include:

  • •

    a copy of the official court docket that proves the beneficiary or claimant’s warrant was satisfied, and

  • •

    the date the court or agency acted on the warrant to declare the warrant satisfied. For additional information on when a warrant is satisfied see (GN 02613.010A.3. and GN 02613.010A.4.)

The document should also show:

  • •

    the date that the warrant was closed (i.e., terminated), and

  • •

    specific information about the warrant to prove it is the warrant belonging to the beneficiary or claimant (e.g. warrant number, offense code).

NOTE: Also, consider as preferred evidence the verification from OIG that a warrant is satisfied.

b. Alternate method of documenting proof that the warrant is satisfied

SSA can accept fax documents from a warrant issuing agency, or the court of jurisdiction for the warrant, or the probation or parole agency, that issued the warrant as long as the 'source' of the fax has been verified by SSA staff as the actual court or agency that issued the warrant.

The person providing the information on the fax to SSA must be acting on behalf of the source. The person must have competent knowledge of the source's warrant process and its recordkeeping practices. The person supplying the warrant information to SSA must have the ability to declare that the warrant was “officially” satisfied or closed.

The fax must provide specific information including:

  • •

    the beneficiary (name, date of birth, enough identifying information to show that the beneficiary and the person on the warrant are the same individual)

  • •

    the agency or court that declared the warrant satisfied (information similar to the information found on the court docket; i.e., the name of the court or agency, where the court or agency is located, name of the judge or official presiding over the charges on the warrant; name of the attorneys for the defendant and the prosecution) and the court disposition (how the warrant was satisfied by the court) of the warrant and the date the court made its decision (date the warrant was satisfied)

  • •

    the name of the person providing the information on the fax and their job position for the warrant issuing agency, probation or parole agency or the court of jurisdiction for the warrant, and

  • •

    the date the person/agent provided the satisfied or closed warrant information to SSA.

3. Rules for reinstating benefits after a period of fugitive felon suspension

a. The rules for suspending benefits based on the fugitive felon provisions are:

Suspension continues until the:

  • •

    Beneficiary is arrested by a law enforcement agency but has not been convicted by a court for their crimes; or

  • •

    Warrant is satisfied (for information on when a warrant is satisfied see GN 02613.010A.4.).

b. The rules for reinstating benefits after fugitive felon suspension no longer applies are:

Reinstate benefits effective the:

  • •

    Month after the month the beneficiary is arrested by a law enforcement agency for their warrant, but not yet convicted of their crime; or

  • •

    Month after the month the warrant has been satisfied.

B. Procedure – reinstating benefits using the FFEL screen

1. FO/PC instructions for reinstating benefits from LAF S9 using POS/FFEL screen

Use the POS system to reinstate benefits from LAF S9 to the beneficiary (for systems processing instructions for the FFEL screen see MSOM COMMON 005.035). To reinstate benefits follow the steps in this chart:

Steps

Actions

1

Annotate warrant disposition to the FFWD screen. In the update mode, enter the mandatory entries and then enter the WARRANT STATUS OF 2 = CLOSED and the DATE WARRANT ENDED (MMDDCCYY); Enter the REASON WARRANT ENDED 1 = APPREHENDED or 2= DISMISSED.

NOTE: Enter in the REASON WARRANT ENDED field 1=APPREHENDED if the beneficiary was arrested by the law enforcement agency that issued the warrant and the arrest now causes the warrant to be satisfied, or 2= DISMISSED if the beneficiary had their warrant dismissed and the warrant is no longer outstanding.

For an explanation when the warrant is dismissed but the criminal charges on the warrant are still outstanding see (GN 02613.010A.4. and GN 02613.010A.5.).

NOTE: FFWD must be updated to avoid a processing exception of the FFEL reinstatement input.

2

From the POS path you:

  • •

    select #5 (MISC SUSP/TERM/REINST) on the POS Selection List (PESL), and

  • •

    select FUGITIVE FELON SUSPENSIONS AND REINSTATEMENTS (LAF S9) on POS Suspensions/Terminations and Reinstatements (PEST), or

  • •

    enter in the TRANSFER TO field, FFEL and FFEL is in the path and was previously completed.

3

Add a date in the FFEL Warrant Satisfy Date field on the FFEL screen. This is the date (MM/CCYY) the warrant was satisfied. Reinstate benefits the month after the month the warrant is satisfied.

4

Check the MBR to make sure benefits are reinstated the month after the month the warrant was satisfied. If the MBR indicates the reinstatement did not process, check the THIS query in MFQ. If THIS indicates a processing exception, follow instructions in GN 02613.500C and GN 02613.500D.

5

An automated reinstatement notice will be sent to the beneficiary by the T2 Notice system if the case successfully processes through T2.

2. Reinstating benefits when POS/FFEL does not work

For additional information on POS/FFEL exclusion processing see (GN 02613.780B.).

T2 exception cases occur when a reinstatement action input through POS/FFEL but does not properly reinstate benefits on the MBR. T2 exceptions are caused in different ways.

Examples of some Systems processes resulting in a T2 Exception are:

  • •

    Processing limitations found in (MSOM MCSEC 001.001); or,

  • •

    An error exists on the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR).

These types of T2 exceptions will be generated to the PC.

3. POS/FFEL processing resulting in a T2 exception

When FFEL reinstatement is input to POS, a T2 transaction is created. If an exception occurs:

  • •

    T2 will not reinstate the benefit on the MBR;

  • •

    It creates a PCACS Action Control Record (ACR) with Type of Event Level (TOEL). The TOEL Codes used in fugitive felon case processing are found in (GN 02613.770C.).

When you input a Title II reinstatement action to the FFEL screen, T2 processes the reinstatement transaction and annotates the MBR that the beneficiary is in current payment status. If the MBR cannot be annotated with the reinstatement action, an exception is sent to the PC.

C. Procedure - FO processing of T2 exception cases for FFEL - PCACS established

Tickle the case for 15 working days after PCACS is established to ensure the MBR is in LAF C.

If the MBR does not reflect current payment status when the diary matures, send a Fugitive Felon FAX follow-up on the reinstatement action to the PC as indicated in this chart:

Steps

Actions

1

Prepare a Fugitive Felon Fax Form. (For instructions and the Fax form see GN 02613.980.) Notify the PC to reinstate benefits to the beneficiary and the date the reinstatement should begin.

2

Fax the form to the servicing PC.

3

Request the PC to send the appropriate reinstatement notice to the beneficiary using language in the (NL 00755.600).

4

Tickle the MDW for 7 working days. Check the MBR after 7 working days to ensure that benefits have been reinstated. Call the PC when the diary matures and there is no reinstatement per (GN 02613.980B.).

5

Fax the evidence that you received to support the reinstatement to the Non-Disability Repository for Evidentiary Documents (NDRED).

D. FO processing –T2 FFEL exception — no PCACS issue exists

If no PCACS ACR exists, there should be a record on the Transaction History Summary Screen (THIS), but assume that T2 did not create a TOEL transaction.

  • •

    Use the Fugitive Felon FAX procedure (for processing instructions see GN 02613.980).

  • •

    Check the MBR to make sure the reinstatement action has been posted.

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0202613500
GN 02613.500 - Reinstating Benefits - 11/01/2023
Batch run: 11/01/2023
Rev:11/01/2023