POMS Reference

GN 02408: Stop Payments and Reclamations

TN 18 (11-08)

The Department of the Treasury (DT) investigates the status of a payment when an E- or F-stop is generated. Use E-stops for non-entitlement situations due to the death of the beneficiary or recipient when a representative payee is not involved and use F-stops when check payments are issued to a representative payee after the death of a beneficiary and for all non-entitlement situations other than death. The chart below gives a brief description of each stop-payment:

Stop Code

Description of E-, F-, and W-Stops

E-stops (Reclamation Request)

Checks and Electronic Fund Transfers (EFT)

(Non-entitlement due to death/no rep payee)

  • Applies to Title II and Title XVI checks and EFT payments issued after death.

  • E-stop is usually an automated process when the date of death is posted to the record and the stop-payment action goes to DT.

  • When a death input is processed, E-stops are automatically systems generated for checks and EFT payments issued after death, unless the E-stop must be input manually (see Manual E-stop Process GN 02408.012).

  • E-stops for checks have a 12-month limit during which SSA can reclaim funds

  • An E-stop enables SSA to direct DT to reclaim funds when a check is cashed after the death of the beneficiary or recipient and to return improper EFT funds deposited to the deceased beneficiary/recipient’s bank account.

F-stops

(Non-entitlement other than death)

  • Input F-stops on Title II and Title XVI check payments issued to a rep payee after the death of a beneficiary/recipient

  • Input F-stops for stop-payment of checks issued when not due for reasons other than death.

  • F-stops are used primarily for checks. There is one exception:

    EFT payment that is also part of the Treasury Offset Program (TOP). See GN 02408.405.

  • The Title XVI nonreceipt system automatically generates an F-stop on a courtesy disbursement check when the original check has been cashed.

  • For the same situation with Title II nonreceipt, the Program Service Centers (PSC) must input F-stops manually.

  • Input an F-stop when you need the status of a check and you do not wish to generate a replacement check.

  • Input an F-stop when checks are issued under an incorrect SSN.

  • F-stop enables DT to reclaim funds if forgery is involved.

  • Input an F-stop for nonreceipt of a due check alleged after the beneficiary’s death.

  • Input an F-stop for nonreceipt of checks issued to non-beneficiaries (see GN 02406.127).

  • Input an F-stop if a former rep payee alleges nonreceipt of a check certified before the change-of-payee action was processed.

  • Input F-stops in nonreceipt and stop-payment situations for Title XVI attorney fee checks

  • Input an F-stop for nonreceipt of non-recurring checks.

    SEE ALSO:

    GN 02406.200 - Failure to Receive a Courtesy Disbursement Or Replacement Check -- Title II

    GN 02406.202 - Nonreceipt of a Settlement Check -- Title II and Title XVI

    GN 02406.205 - Nonreceipt of Underpayment Check/Type 2 and One-Time Payment/Type 4 Payment -- Field Office And Teleservice Center Instructions -- Title XVI

    GN 02406.207 - Nonreceipt of Courtesy Disbursement or Replacement Check/ Type 9 Payment -- Field Office and Teleservice Center Instructions -- Title XVI

W-stop

Checks and EFT

Title II ONLY

Non-entitlement - death of rep payee

  • W-stop is a Title II stop code used only for the death of the representative payee.

  • A rep payee date of death input generates stop-payments (W-stop) on any Title II payments issued after a payee’s death.

  • W-stops post to the Payment History Update System (PHUS) as E-stops

  • EFT – DT returns funds to SSA after reclamation from a financial institution (FI) for reissue to the new payee.

  • Checks – DT cancels checks issued after a payee’s death and returns credit to SSA for reissue to the new payee or reclaims from the FI if checks were cashed.