A new rule will use background checks to ensure that people convicted of certain crimes cannot receive benefits from Social Security on behalf of impaired beneficiaries. The final rule published on February 15, 2019, by the Social Security Administration (SSA) implements requirements outlined in a 2018 law.

 

Under the law, and the new rule, people convicted of crimes such as kidnapping, sexual assault, fraud, and forgery may not manage benefit payments for impaired recipients of certain federal benefits. SSA will conduct background checks at least once every five years on all such people who manage benefits. The final rule will go into effect on March 18, 2019.

 

A final rule, in the context of administrative rulemaking, is a federal administrative regulation that went through the proposed rule and public comment stages of the rulemaking process and is published in the Federal Register with a scheduled effective date. The published final rule marks the last stage in the rulemaking process and includes information about the rationale for the regulation as well as any necessary responses to public comments.