by Carrie Gross
Last Wednesday, March 7th, The Carnegie East House hosted an event targeted at seniors to help ensure that their social security checks are deposited securely. With over 50 people in attendance, John Blake, Branch Manager and AVP from City & Suburban Bank spoke to the benefits of “Go Direct”. Co-sponsored by the Federal Reserve, Go Direct’s initiative is to alert seniors that they can simply have their monthly social security checks deposited directly into their bank accounts.
Benefits of this program are great: direct deposit cuts down on identity theft or having the check stolen; the monies get into the account quicker; and it saves seniors the hassle of walking in treacherous conditions to the bank to make the deposit. “By using direct deposit the Federal government also saves money. The cost of cutting and mailing each check is 7-10 cents per check, but with direct deposit it is only a penny,” said Shirley Saxton, public affairs officer for the Social Security Administration. The government issues over 150 million benefit checks each year, so the savings to the government are huge.
When asked how many of Carnegie East House residents had Internet access the answer was an expected "zero". The elderly, who are not quick to accept new technologies, are not comfortable enrolling online for this program which is the primary method suggested. But other options to enroll are available: it was suggested that residents ask their children or grandchildren to assist them in signing up online; to go directly to the Social Security Office; or by doing it over the phone at 1-800-772-1213.
“Go Direct” is a much needed program for the aging population who are most susceptible to fraud and identity theft. However, online enrollment may be a stretch for the geriatric population. Unless they have a child who assists in their financial matters, it is extremely unlikely that seniors who associate computers with NASA will be able to navigate through the treacherous world of cyberspace any easier than they would to get to a bank branch on 2nd Avenue. The 1-800 number seems to be the most accessible and likely route for enrollment, though even that would require guidance from the staff at Carnegie East House or from family members. “Go Direct” is the wave of the future, but we hope knowledgeable and helpful guidance to surf that wave is made available to seniors.