Senators Seek Automatic Stimulus Payments for Seniors, Disabled

April 1, 2020

The Honorable Steven T. Mnuchin
U.S. Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20220

The Honorable Andrew Saul
Social Security Administration
6401 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21235

Dear Secretary Mnuchin and Commissioner Saul:

The COVID-19 public health emergency is taking a massive economic toll on families across the country. To provide immediate financial assistance to struggling individuals during this crisis, Congress passed and the President signed the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This legislation directly provides most Americans with stimulus payments to help cover necessary personal expenses.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will automatically send stimulus payments to eligible taxpayers who filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return. However, many Social Security beneficiaries, including retired seniors and individuals who experience disabilities, typically do not file tax returns. To ensure that these vulnerable individuals automatically receive stimulus payments, the CARES Act explicitly provides the Treasury Department with the authority to provide payments to seniors receiving Social Security retirement benefits and to individuals receiving Social Security disability benefits, even if these individuals do not file tax returns.¹

Unfortunately, on March 30, the IRS published guidance indicating that the agency may require recipients of Social Security retirement and disability benefits to file 2019 tax returns to receive stimulus payments.² This filing requirement would place a significant burden on retired seniors and individuals who experience disabilities, especially given the current unavailability of tax filing assistance from Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs during the COVID-19 crisis.

Along with colleagues on the House Ways and Means Committee,³ we strongly urge you to ensure that economic stimulus payments are automatically sent to vulnerable seniors and individuals who experience disabilities, without these individuals needing to file a tax return.

Sincerely,

Senator Margaret Wood Hassan
Senator Sherrod Brown
Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Senator Charles E. Schumer
Senator Ron Wyden
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
Senator Thomas R. Carper
Senator Michael F. Bennet
Senator Robert Menendez
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
Senator Debbie Stabenow
Senator Benjamin L. Cardin
Senator Mark R. Warner
Senator Maria Cantwell
Senator Richard J. Durbin
Senator Patty Murray
Senator Jeanne Shaheen
Senator Richard Blumenthal
Senator Jacky Rosen
Senator Doug Jones
Senator Jack Reed
Senator Amy Klobuchar
Senator Edward J. Markey
Senator Gary C. Peters
Senator Tim Kaine
Senator Martin Heinrich
Senator Bernard Sanders
Senator Mazie K. Hirono
Senator Tom Udall
Senator Chris Van Hollen
Senator Tammy Duckworth
Senator Tammy Baldwin
Senator Angus S. King, Jr.
Senator Tina Smith
Senator Christopher A. Coons
Senator Elizabeth Warren
Senator Kyrsten Sinema
Senator Cory A. Booker
Senator Patrick Leahy
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Senator Christopher S. Murphy