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RCAL's Representative Payee Service
GENERAL INFORMATION | FAQ | FORMS | CONTACT
Disbursment of Funds
Disbursement of Funds
Determining when bills are paid depends on the bill:
Rent is paid on the 5th of the month
Utilities and cellphone payments are made weekly
PNA's are released on Tuesdays
We of course pay bills when they are due!
If your bills are sent to you and then you let them sit for a few days before mailing them to us, chances are they are getting paid late by the time we get them and process them. There are several things you can do to help us help you:
Contact your bills and have the address changed so the come directly to RCAL. This will cut down on the lag time and people who do this always have timely payments.
RCAL - Attention: Your Name, 727 Ulster Ave, Kinston, NY 12401
Authorize RCAL staff to make electronic payments over the phone
Set up online accounts with cable and give us the username and password
After a few months, we can try. Once we have established a relationship, if you would like to increase your PNA and take on one or two bills, we can try that for a few months and see how it goes. This would be a great step toward independence, which we always encourage.
If it is a bill that is coming directly to RCAL you do not have to request us to pay it.
If it is a recurring bill that is the same every month, once set up, you do not have to request us to pay it.
You do not have to request rent to be paid, once it is set up.
If you have a onetime bill that needs to be paid, please submit a copy of the bill to us at least 10 days before the due date (an electronic version is fine).
General Questions
Getting Our Services
You must complete an RCAL application.
Once your application is received by RCAL, it takes about two weeks for us to process and submit it to Social Security. Because of backlog, it takes between three months to one year to approve.
Please contact our Representative Payee office as soon as possible. We are not always aware that you have been approved. Sometimes you are notified before we are. Once RCAL is notified of your approval and recieves its first payment for you, we need to set up an appointment to set up a budget. During this appointment you will need to notify us of all of your bills. Please refer to the Budget Meeting section of the FAQ
RCAL is unable to pay your bills if we are unaware that they exist. You need to make a list of all the bills that need to be paid every month. Examples would be rent, car loans, insurance, cable, cellphone bills, etc. A copy of the bills would be very useful.
If you would like us to speak with someone else, we would be happy to. You must download a form (Rep Payee Info Sharing). This form needs to be completed, signed and in our office for us to be able to speak to someone. You are welcome to select a family member, a trusted friend or neighbor, one of your counselors or a service coordinator as your selected person. Please note however, that you may only select one person. All others will not be responded to. It is the responsibility of you and the selected person to share information with any other member of your team.
We value your privacy and your rights to protected information. If you would like us to speak with someone else we will be happy to. We recieve hundreds of communications daily.
You must download a form (Rep Payee Info Sharing). This form needs to be completed, signed and in our office for us to be able to speak to someone. You are welcome to select a family member, a trusted friend or neighbor, one of your counselors or a service coordinator as your selected person.
Please note however, that you may only select one person, all others will not be responded to. It is the responsibility of you and the selected person to share information with any other member of your team.
Budget Meeting
Budget Meeting
Whatever is easiest for you!
You are welcome to come in, set up a virtual Zoom Meeting, or set up a conference call.
If you were referred by Dutchess DSS, we can discuss setting up a meeting closer to you.
A copy of your lease or rental agreement
A copy of your latest electric bill, any other utilities, phone bills, car loan, insurance, cable bill, credit cards etc. Anything that you pay monthly that you need us to issue payment for.
Any outstanding loans
Insurance bills (medical, automobile, life)
Pay stubs
Some months have 5 weeks others do not. Basing payments on a five-week cycle makes sure you always receive a personal needs allowance no matter how many weeks the month has. During months that do not have 5 weeks, your funds are conserved, making a reserve of funds available for emergencies, the holidays, birthdays, or any special purchase that you have enough funds for.
Persnnel Needs Allowance
PNA
There are many possible answers:
If nothing has changed and you get your PNA in the mail, there has been a mail delay. Wait at least 10 days before calling.
If you had too many surprise disbursements this month, it may have used up your funds.
If you have recently rented movies on cable, then you may have spent your PNA.
Feel free to submit the contact form and ask a question.
Your PNA is determined during the budget meeting. You will hopefully be participating in this meeting. During this meeting, we take your monthly income, subtract your monthly bills, and divide what is left by 5.
If your monthly bills have changed or your rent is decreased, it may be possible to change your PNA. Request a new budget meeting to discuss this.
On Tuesdays we mail all checks and release funds to your bank if you are set up on Auto Deposit.
Absolutely! We highly recommend it. With the post office having more and more delays, it can really speed up getting your funds. We are experiencing mail delays of upwards of 10 days. Checks or deposits are released on Mondays. Depending on your bank an ACH (auto deposit) will get to you by Tuesday or Wednesday. Fill out the appropriate form on our forms page.
We encourage using direct deposit for your PNA (ACH). By utilizing direct deposit, your funds will go directly to the bank and you will not have to worry about where the check was sent to.
Rent
Rental Payments
To ensure your funds are received by Social Security and available, rent is paid on the 5th of the month.
Please notify us as soon as possible.
If you do not have a subsidy, we need the new agreement with the landlord.
If your subsidy has changed, we need documentation from your funding source.
This is not a problem. Use this form. Have your landlord fill it out with you and submit it to us.
Absolutely! Please see the landlord section of our forms page and pick the form for your county. Submit it to us with your information and account number and we will get you set up for ACH deposits.
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