WASHINGTON– Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema cosponsored bipartisan legislation ensuring future direct payments from coronavirus relief packages reach Arizona Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and VA beneficiaries automatically. During the implementation of the CARES Act, Arizona seniors, disabled individuals, and veterans encountered barriers to receiving their direct payments, and Sinema successfully fought through those barriers to ensure vulnerable Arizonans received their checks without having to file tax returns or additional paperwork.
“Removing unnecessary barriers blocking Arizona seniors and veterans from getting direct payments helps ensure some of our most vulnerable citizens get needed support during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic,” said Sinema.
Following passage of the CARES Act, Arizona seniors, veterans, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients encountered barriers to accessing their direct stimulus payments. Following calls from Sinema, the IRS issued new guidance that seniors, veterans, and SSI recipients would get their rebate checks without filing tax returns. Sinema’s new bill ensures the second round of stimulus payments are automatically provided to Social Security, VA, and SSI beneficiaries and it directs the IRS to provide $500 child payments as soon as practicable to Social Security, VA, and SSI beneficiaries who missed the short deadlines to provide dependent information under the CARES Act.
Sinema has also added a resources page to her website, www.sinema.senate.gov/corona, for Arizonans looking for the latest information on coronavirus.
