A representative payee is an individual or organization who receives and manages Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments for someone who is unable to manage their own benefits.

The representative payee of a SSI recipient must use SSI monies to pay for the recipient’s basic living expenses (food, shelter, utilities and medical expenses not covered by Medi-Cal).

If you need help managing your benefits, tell a Social Security representative that there is someone you want to be your representative payee. Your representative payee should be someone you trust ...