More than 400 Multnomah County residents have regained their access to money for basic needs, after their Social Security benefits were placed in limbo when federal authorities shut down the agency that managed the funds.
On Wednesday, a U.S. District Court judge ordered the Social Security Administration to find new representatives for people who used to get their benefits through Safety Net of Oregon, an agency that is being forced to close while federal authorities investigate whether it mismanaged its clients’ funds.
The judge’s order stems from a lawsuit filed Monday, in which five former Safety Net clients and a Portland nonprofit claimed the Social Security Administration failed to protect their access to federal benefits when it shut down Safety Net. Safety Net is a nonprofit Social Security “payee” that doles out benefits to elderly and disabled people who are unable manage their own.
As part of the investigation, Safety Net will be shut down at the end of the month, leaving its 1,000 clients to find a new place to collect their Social Security benefits.
For more information: The Oregonian