In the News

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal is pushing for COVID-19 relief package checks to be issued to seniors and vulnerable groups automatically without needing to file any additional information with the federal government.

In a statement Tuesday, Neal said he and other lawmakers had “been inundated with calls from concerned senior citizens regarding their ability to receive” checks included in the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed by President Donald Trump last week.

The Internal Revenue Service said Monday that many Social Security and Veterans Administration beneficiaries, those receiving Supplemental Security Income and other low-income individuals must file a simplified tax return to access the $1,200 checks being sent to most Americans making less than $75,000.

But Neal said that “crucial filing resources, like Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), are not available to provide assistance due to the COVID-19 crisis,” making it more challenging for seniors and others to quickly file tax returns.

“My colleagues and I strongly urge Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Social Security Administrator Andrew Saul to find a solution that will allow vulnerable groups to receive these funds automatically, without needing to file an additional return," Neal said.

Mnuchin this weekend said Americans who have already filed tax returns in 2018 or 2019 and have electronic information on file with the IRS would start seeing checks via direct deposit within three weeks.

The secretary also said the White House would create a “web-based system" for people who do not have direct deposit so they can get the money immediately.

“We will create a web-based system for people where we don’t have their direct deposit, they can upload it, so that they can get the money immediately as opposed to checks in the mail,” he said.