Question: I have been helping my mother manage her finances since she had a stroke two years ago. Her primary income comes from Social Security, and last month I was late paying her bills because the check was delivered to the wrong house. Is there something that I can do to make sure this does not happen again?

Answer: One of the greatest challenges for waiting on a check to arrive in the mail has always been the check being lost or worse yet stolen. Though our postal service is usually very dependable, mistakes do happen, and crooks are always looking for an easy score.

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Treasury launched the Direct Express program offering direct deposit into a bank account or a debit card to those receiving Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, and Veterans and Railroad benefits. The program is designed to reduce the risk of lost and stolen benefit checks, while at the same time dramatically cutting down on the monetary and environmental cost of sending paper checks.

Recently, the Treasury moved a step closer to eliminating paper checks for most types of government benefits with a proposal that would require new recipients to enroll in the Direct Express program beginning March 1, 2011. Individuals already receiving these benefits will have an additional two years (March 1, 2013) of paper checks if they choose not to enroll at this time. According to the Treasury, 85% of federal benefit recipients are already getting their payments electronically, however, the government still mails out over 136 million checks each year (500,000 of which are lost or stolen each year). Current estimates indicate the government will save roughly $400 million and 12 million pounds of paper within five years of moving to electronic payments.

Enrolling in the Direct Express program is fairly simple. If you are already enrolled in Social Security and have a bank account, you can sign up for a password online at www.ssa.gov, or call toll–free 1-800-772- 1213 for assistance. If you do not have a bank account, then you will either need to open one before you can sign up for direct deposit, or you will need to request a special debit card from the Treasury.

Additional information on the direct deposit program is available on the Social Security Administration website www.ssa. gov/deposit/ howtosign. htm.

For more information, contact the Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging by calling toll–free 1-800-868-9095 or visiting the website www.aging. sc.gov.