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Social Security Benefits for Felony Fugitives? As incredible as it may seem, there is no federal law that prohibits fugitives who are on the run for committing a felony, from drawing Social Security benefits. Felony fugitives are only barred from receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits (see cover story, `Social Security Pays Fugitives $30 Million Annually`). It is only when a felon has been imprisoned for more than a year, that Social Security benefits are finally suspended. This is an outrage. Our lawmakers need a reminder that a substantial number of seniors, the Notch babies who turn 75 through 84 this year, took a cut in benefits starting in 1979 to `save Social Security` from going broke. Are Notch Babies receiving less in order to provide benefits to felons? More needs to be done to enforce 1996 laws barring SSI payments to fugitives. In addition, Congress should also bar other Social Security payments from going directly to fugitives and felons with sentences of less than one year. TSCL thinks it would be more appropriate for those payments to go directly to the jails and prison systems to offset the felon`s maintenance costs. Finally Congress must move forward quickly on H.R. 97 `The Notch Fairness Act of 2001.` `The Notch Fairness Act` would provide those born from 1917 through 1926 with their choice of improved monthly benefits or a Lump-Sum totaling $5,000 payable over a four year period. The legislation, which is estimated to cost about $45 billion over the four year period, would not rely on money from the Social Security Trust Fund, but would be financed by cutting wasteful government spending such as improper payments to felony fugitives. Please contact your Representative in Congress to protest the poor oversight of the SSI program and the outrageous policies that allow fugitives and felons to draw Social Security benefits. Please ask your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 97 `The Notch Fairness Act.` This article first appeared in Volume 6, Issue 5 of "The Social Security and Medicare Advisor" newsletter (April/2001). To receive future editions of "The Advisor" in its special, free e-mail version, please click here. | ||||||||
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