Millions of cash-strapped Social Security recipients in urgent need of financial assistance have expressed frustration over the fact that they haven’t seen a dime from coronavirus relief checks under President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

The reason is due to the Social Security Administration (SSA) itself, according to a letter from the House Ways and Means Committee to the benefits agency, contending that thirty million Social Security recipients are sitting empty-handed because the SSA didn’t turn over the necessary payment information to the Internal Revenue Service in a timely fashion.

However, it appears that the SSA has rectified the situation by confirming that it has sent off the information to the IRS that will help clear the way for the senior citizens to receive the $1,400 payments.

“We understand that these beneficiaries are waiting because the Social Security Administration has not sent the necessary payment files to the Internal Revenue Service,” Reps. Richard Neal, John Larson, Bill Pascrell, and Danny Davis wrote in the letter.

In a separate letter earlier in the week, the House Ways and Means Committee wrote: “Some of our most vulnerable seniors and persons with disabilities, including veterans who served our country with honor, are unable to pay for basic necessities while they wait for their overdue payments.”

In response, SSA Commissioner Andrew Saul asserted that the agency was initially limited in how much it could progress based on how its role is defined by the Social Security Act and the terms outlined in the American Rescue Plan.

“Once we were free to move forward, we aggressively worked with Treasury and IRS to issue payments,” he said in a statement.

Saul added that the updates from the SSA help ensure payments are delivered to the correct bank accounts and addresses. The agency was also removing individuals who are now confirmed to be deceased.

“Social Security employees have literally worked day and night with IRS staff to ensure that the electronic files of Social Security and SSI recipients are complete, accurate, and ready to be used to issue payments,” he said.

Further exacerbating the entire process is that many senior citizens were finding it difficult to garner the necessary information via the IRS “Get My Payment” tool at www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment. After entering their full Social Security or tax ID number, date of birth, street address, and ZIP code, they often received a message that said, “Payment Status Not Available.”

“If you get this message, either we have not yet processed your payment, or you are not eligible for a payment,” the IRS says. “We will continue to send the 2021 Economic Impact Payment to eligible individuals throughout 2021.”

Some seniors have resorted to calling the IRS at 800-919-9835, but they have found it nearly impossible to get through to a live representative. “IRS live phone assistance is extremely limited at this time,” the agency states.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Minneapolis-based Science and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.