Press release:
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced Friday (April 3) that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has heeded his call and will reverse the guidance issued earlier this week requiring Social Security recipients file a tax return in order to receive the direct cash assistance.
Schumer explained that the reversal is essential to the wellbeing of seniors and disabled New Yorkers because the original IRS requirement of filing a tax return in order to receive the direct assistance would have placed an undue burden on vulnerable individuals, especially seniors, who are already facing tremendous stress as the most at-risk population during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
“After successfully pushing for streamlined payments to New York seniors and most vulnerable in last week’s emergency relief package, the IRS turned around and issued bureaucratic and unreasonable guidance, complicating the process and making it harder for thousands of New Yorkers to quickly get the money they deserve,” Senator Schumer said.
“I’m glad the IRS heeded my call and reversed course, because asking vulnerable individuals living in the epicenter of this global pandemic to jump through unnecessary hoops to get their much-needed cash assistance is irresponsible. The new IRS guidance puts the well-being of these New Yorkers first and achieves the intended goal I so fiercely fought for: get New Yorkers the money they deserve and need to help get through this difficult time as quickly as possible.”
The IRS guidance released on March 30th outlined that Social Security beneficiaries would need to file tax returns in order to receive direct cash assistance, even though the CARES Act explicitly provided the Treasury Department the authority to release cash to those beneficiaries directly.
Schumer opposed the original guidance, saying that the contradicting information only added to the confusion individuals are already facing. The new guidance from the IRS follows the provisions in the Schumer-negotiated CARES Act, providing an avenue for direct cash assistance for the most vulnerable populations.
According to the Social Security Administration, New York has more than 3 million retired and disabled workers receiving Social Security benefits. Below is a breakdown of impacted New Yorkers in each county:
County
Retired Workers on SS
Disabled Workers on SS
Albany
44,140
8,610
Allegany
7,755
1,770
Bronx
126,160
39,975
Broome
32,520
7,395
Cattaraugus
13,290
3,330
Cayuga
12,520
2,590
Chautauqua
23,110
5,245
Chemung
14,500
3,780
Chenango
8,945
2,120
Clinton
12,845
4,025
Columbia
11,595
2,010
Cortland
7,140
1,475
Delaware
8,670
1,615
Dutchess
42,825
8,480
Erie
141,520
30,830
Essex
7,090
1,375
Franklin
7,830
2,065
Fulton
9,405
2,585
Genesee
9,915
2,080
Greene
8,690
2,015
Hamilton
1,360
140
Herkimer
11,305
2,375
Jefferson
14,765
3,530
Kings
238,735
47,025
Lewis
4,080
890
Livingston
10,330
2,090
Madison
10,780
2,100
Monroe
114,385
23,940
Montgomery
9,015
2,145
Nassau
193,170
24,700
New York
194,710
27,880
Niagara
35,840
8,990
Oneida
37,425
8,825
Onondaga
69,845
14,310
Ontario
19,910
3,315
Orange
45,415
10,070
Orleans
6,465
1,630
Oswego
18,035
4,910
Otsego
10,725
1,870
Putnam
13,965
2,225
Queens
251,800
36,485
Rensselaer
24,115
5,190
Richmond
60,895
13,755
Rockland
41,320
5,230
St. Lawrence
16,650
4,610
Saratoga
37,175
5,840
Schenectady
22,935
5,120
Schoharie
5,515
1,125
Schuyler
3,535
740
Seneca
5,765
1,305
Steuben
16,310
3,785
Suffolk
210,475
37,530
Sullivan
11,995
2,890
Tioga
8,655
1,770
Tompkins
12,340
1,925
Ulster
29,810
5,945
Warren
13,170
2,720
Washington
9,990
2,570
Wayne
15,850
3,525
Westchester
128,465
15,680
Wyoming
6,640
1,375
Yates
4,650
820
NYS Total
2,548,783
486,264
