Treasury Dept. announces Social Security is going paperless

Social Security going paperless
U.S. Treasury Dept. ensures recipients are prepared
by Z. Daniel Barnett - Published: February 15, 2013

After more than two years of planning, the U.S. Treasury Department will be transitioning to a "paperless benefits" system.
According to AARP's Government Affairs Division, benefit checks - including Social Security, SSI, and veterans' payments - will no longer be mailed, beginning on March 1. Instead, recipients will have to set up direct deposit into a bank account or arrange for a pre-paid debit card. The move is expected to save the federal government millions of dollars in processing fees, but for the millions of Americans who have yet to make arrangements for the switch, it could be problematic.
Cristina Martin Firvida, Director of Financial Security for AARP, says that the sooner beneficiaries contact the Social Security office the better. She adds, though, that payments will still come via mail until other arrangements have been made.
For more information - and to make arrangements for paperless benefits - recipients can visit GoDirect.org or call the Treasury Department at 800.333.1795. Additional information is also available at AARP.org.