Social Security No Paper Checks Switch Up

Ok, long story short the government thinks I'm crazy so they pay me to shut my mouth. Recently, I got a letter in the mail saying that they are going to switch over all disability recipients who currently receive paper checks on Social Security Disability since 2008 to electronic checking. I started getting mine in 2006 so I wasn't alarmed. Now while this may seem good and well for some there are a still a few things which struck me as odd. First, why the need to get rid of the paper checks suddenly? Is the cost of paper that expensive or is it the labor of the postmen? I doubt it, paper hasn't gone up that much comparatively and the postmen are going to everyone's house with bills and junk mail anyway. Second, why get rid of a good thing? There will be no paper trail if they do. Third, what if the electronic system is hacked or abused? Sony was hacked, and they are very advanced in regards to technology. So........ yesterday, I go to the check cashing place to cash my check and there is an officer in uniform in the lobby. Odd because this place never has a guard, odder still because he bought some bootleg DVDs from a street vendor but that is neither here nor there. As I went to cash my check I noticed signs every where saying that the switch up to electronic checking is now mandatory. There is a lady behind the glass who is of Caucasian descent in her upper 50s I have never seen there before, this is odd because the bank employees are all Latin American because my city is majority Latino and they need to be versed in both languages. I'm not saying white people don't speak Spanish, I'm white and I do, just saying it was odd with the circumstances at hand. Suddenly I go to cash my check and the lady approaches me with a form. She tells me I have to switch today to a Visa Master Card credit card to receive my checks on or the government will pick a credit card for me. WHAT?!?!? I have a problem with credit cards, I over spend. Further more, I don't want that and the letter I received implied I would not have to switch. Everyone there was switching over, and not only that but I believe that the credit cards are getting some cut of people's disability and social security checks. I don't know what to do but man, I needed to rant. Thank God for ATS.

reply to post by PURPLEMAN


banks oddly enough like deposit rather than a promise to pay. visualize writing a check to your grocery store it take 2 maybe 3 days for that promise note to go threw officially. I attribute it to the 2 year old i want candy tantum. gimme money gimme it now NO! not an IOU real stuff!

reply to post by wolveseyes


Yeah I agree. Another thing I left out, and I find this really funny, the main selling point of why people should switch, and they were, was that you receive your checks 3 days early. Ok, that is true it's 3 days earlier the very first time, but every time after you are just receiving your checks on time because the amount of time between checks doesn't change, so it's not like your really getting anything early your just changing the days.

I must be lucky as my disability pension gets paid directly into my bank account here in Oz, so there's no need to get a cheque cashed anywhere.

I would be greatly concerned with the concept of having to get a Visa Credit Card in order to be paid.. that smacks of a seedy back-scratching agenda.

Are oyu sure it wasn't a Debit card they wanted you to have to access your electronic bank/pension funds?

reply to post by Tayesin


It might of been a debit card, I don't have a bank account though and I don't want to set one up. The thing that bothers me is, why not just issue a plastic card like for Foodstamps? Why does it have to be a name brand and a debit card? The foodstamps card is just a regular old government issued card but it still works in all the ATMs, why not do it this way? Why pick for me a credit/debit card? Why change from paper to plastic in the first place?

reply to post by Tayesin


Also, this is just a thought, but what if I bought something deemed illegal with said debit card, I bet you I would lose everything. I'm not sure but this could be one of the incentives, I know they are trying to get rid of everyone on the system's money right now. Obama ordered a review of every single person on aid. So if your gradma has alzeimers you can expect her to be getting a disability review form in the mail soon if she hasn't already, good luck filling that out...

reply to post by PURPLEMAN


I got no answers for you mate. As you said the system already has things in place that do the job well enough, so there would seem like no logical reason for the demanded changes.

Maybe it's just like almost everything else these days.. it Sucks!

We get regular reviews here about ever two years, and from what I read recently that will be changing to yearly. Fortunately for me I am about 15 years older than the cut-off point for re-education.. just trying to see my days out without too much drama now.

reply to post by PURPLEMAN



Social security has a feature called direct deposit....contact them and you can get your money deposited in a bank account of your choice...and you won't have a credit or debit card attached to it..unless you want to.

Originally posted by PURPLEMAN
reply to post by Tayesin

 

Also, this is just a thought, but what if I bought something deemed illegal with said debit card, I bet you I would lose everything. I'm not sure but this could be one of the incentives, I know they are trying to get rid of everyone on the system's money right now. Obama ordered a review of every single person on aid. So if your gradma has alzeimers you can expect her to be getting a disability review form in the mail soon if she hasn't already, good luck filling that out...

When did President Obama order a review? I am curious.

reply to post by PURPLEMAN


You are being conned by the bank. They want you to have a credit card through them. they also make money from a credit card issued through them..

You do NOT need a credit card if you have your check sent electronically to the bank. By using a credit card instead of writing checks you save the bank money with the elimination of their paper and electronic processing. For example, if you whip out your credit card to pay your bills, you will only write one check at the end of the month to cover all of those bills. the bank saves itself a lot of expenses and still gets a kickback from the card company because they issued the card to you. It is a win-win for them.

The government saves a vast amount of money by sending electronically. The computers do all of the work without any paper handling. The banks love it because your money comes directly to them, and you have to use them to get your hands on it rather than a corner check-cashing store. this new ploy is just another way to eliminate cash.

Your bank is pulling a con on you, pure and simple if you have correctly explained the sitiuation.