POMS Reference

GN 02408: Stop Payments and Reclamations

TN 15 (08-07)

A. Policy

SSA sends a request to the Department of the Treasury (DT) to abandon the reclamation of all or some of the EFT payments listed on a previously sent request for reclamation when:

  • The payments were sent to an account at a U.S. bank, and

  • SSA has determined that the beneficiary/recipient is alive; or

  • The date of death previously applied to the record was incorrect, so that SSA requested reclamations on payments that were not made after death; or

  • The estate or withdrawer has already repaid all of the money to SSA.

IMPORTANT: In direct deposit cases in which SSA has already received the funds from the reclamation action (via EFT return or FMS-133/135 credit), an abandon reclamation will not prompt Treasury to return the funds to the bank. If we have already received the reclaimed funds through Treasury, it is up to SSA to refund the amount. Follow the instructions in GN 02408.720, Dual Recovery, if SSA has received the money twice (from any combination of sources). For reclamation of International Direct Deposit (IDD) payments, see GN 02408.900.

B. Procedure – Title II or Title XVI

1. Correct all SSA records

  1. Remove the death information if the beneficiary is alive.

  2. Show the correct date of death, if an incorrect date is currently on the records.

  3. Show all payments that have been returned.

    If... Then...

    It has been determined that the person is alive,

    Go to GN 02408.800B.2.

    All of the payments on the request for reclamation have already been repaid directly to SSA by the estate or a withdrawer,

    Go to GN 02408.800B.2.

    The estate, a withdrawer, or a family member has repaid some but not all of the payments,

    Go to GN 02408.800B.3.

    The date of death is later than the MBR or SSR showed when the request for reclamation went to the Department of the Treasury,

    Go to GN 02408.800B.4.

2. If No Payments Should be Reclaimed

If you have determined that the person is alive, or if you find that all of the payments on the request for reclamation have already been repaid directly to SSA by the estate or withdrawer, do the following:

  • Complete the SSA-1714 form shown in GN 02408.800C.

  • Show the correct reason and list all payments for which reclamation was requested. For Title II, this information should be on the PHUS query as SF-1184 event 070. For Title XVI, this information should be on the Q query.

  • Be sure to complete the form with your office information, and information about you, the requester.

  • Go to GN 02408.800B.5.

3. If all of the payments have been repaid

If the estate, a withdrawer, or a family member has repaid all of the payments, do the following:

  • Complete a form SSA-1714, Abandon Reclamation Request– EFT (shown in GN 02408.800C.), listing the payments that were on the reclamation request.

  • Be sure to complete the form with your office information, and information about you, the requester.

  • Go to GN 02408.800B.5.

4. Date of Death is Later Than the MBR Shows

When the actual date of death is later than the MBR shows, do the following:

  • Correct the death information in the PC.

  • Complete an SSA-1714, Abandon Reclamation Request– EFT (in GN 02408.800C.), listing all of the payments that should not be reclaimed.

  • Be sure to complete the form with your office information, and information about you, the requester.

  • Go to GN 02408.800B.5.

5. Send the SSA-1714 and Phone the RFC

When you have completed and signed the SSA-1714, do the following:

  • Complete, Save and Email the completed form to the Philadelphia Regional Financial Center (PFC), using the email address on the SSA-1714 (pfc-reclamations@fms.treas.gov).

  • If you are requesting an abandonment of reclamation, email the PFC at pfc-reclamations@fms.treas.gov. Write “Abandonment of reclamation” in the subject line. In the body of email, write the SSN with BIC, reclamation ticket number, payee name, and date of reclamation.

  • If you are requesting copies of the FMS-133, email the PFC at pfc-reclamations@fms.treas.gov. Write “Request for copy of reclamation documents” in the subject line. In the body of email, write the SSN with BIC, reclamation ticket number, payee name, and date of reclamation.

  • If you need to contact Treasury regarding reclamation information (other than IDD), contact the PFC at the following address:

    Department of the Treasury
    Bureau of Fiscal Service
    Philadelphia Financial Center
    P O Box 603
    Bensalem PA 19020-9921

    (HELP DESK) 855-868-0151, select option #1

    Email Address: pfc-reclamations@fms.treas.gov

  • If your RO requires you to send a copy to them, fax the completed form to the RO.

C. Exhibit — Form SSA-1714

The FO, RO, or PC uses Form SSA-1714 to ask the Department of the Treasury to abandon a reclamation for Title II or Title XVI direct deposit payments.

See GN 02408.302 to abandon a reclamation request for Title II or Title XVI payments made by paper check(s). 

Select SSA-1714 (approved by OPLM) to view the pdf file.

D. References

1. Title XVI:

  • Reclamation – money recovered twice, SM 01315.142

  • How to process an FMS-133 (Notice of Reclamation), SM 01315.144

2. Title II: