‘It’s my sole means’: This Tulsa senior’s Social Security benefits are being held up because of the payment provider’s red tape — here’s the issue and how to deal with it

A dire situation

Direct Express allows Social Security recipients to get their funds via debit card. It's an option often exercised by beneficiaries who don't have access to a bank account.

Scott said he knew he needed his replacement Direct Express debit card activated right away, so when he ran into issues, he immediately called the program for help.

After spending days on hold for hours at a time, he turned to Social Security for help and was told Direct Express would return his call within hours. When that didn't happen, he contacted his 2 News's Problem Solvers team to intervene.

Since then, things have progressed. Direct Express returned Scott's calls and told him he needed a new state ID since his current one had expired. But he needed to supply a copy of his birth certificate, a process that could take 20 to 25 days.

The Tulsa Day Center provided Scott with a voucher to purchase a new ID. But when he hit a further snag, the Problem Solvers intervened and put Scott in touch with LIFE Senior Services, a nonprofit that assists seniors with everything from taxes to navigating Medicare.

Scott's caseworker was able to speed up the process of getting his birth certificate, thereby expediting the process of him getting the new ID needed to activate his Direct Express card.

She also made sure Scott was provided with food. But as of this writing, the issue remains unresolved, which means Scott is still missing the income he relies on.

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A troubling trend

Scott isn't the first Social Security beneficiary to have issues with Direct Express. In early December, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) sued Comerica Bank, the administrator of the program, for repeatedly failing its 3.4 million Direct Express cardholders.

The suit states that Comerica deliberately disconnected more than 24 million customer service calls. Not only that, but callers were subjected to excessively long wait times.

The suit also says that more than a million Direct Express debit cardholders were charged ATM fees to access their government benefits when they should've been entitled to free withdrawals. And thousands of cardholders were forced to close their accounts in error, causing them to incur fees.

The good news is that starting in 2025, Bank of New York Mellon Corp. will take over the Direct Express program, which could make for smoother sailing.

Not only that, but the Social Security Administration (SSA) itself is taking steps to improve customer service for beneficiaries.

The agency says that over the summer, 50 of its offices began an effort to help customers make appointments instead of being subjected to long lines. When that proved effective in shrinking wait times at local offices, the SSA expanded that effort to about 400 locations and is now working to scale that initiative nationwide

The SSA also acknowledged earlier this year that it takes too long to approve initial disability claims. The agency is prioritizing a reduction in disability processing times and has expanded its team of medical consultants to help Disability Determination Service offices get through case reviews more quickly.

Although there’s still work to be done, the hope is that efforts like these will make it easier for vulnerable Americans to get access to the customer service they need, as well as the benefits they need to stay afloat.