sgroves@delphosherald.com

DELPHOS — There are 27 days left before the U.S. Department of the Treasury stops mailing paper Social Security and Supplemental Security Income checks to recipients and begins making payments by electronic deposit. The changes will also affect people who get veterans’ benefits, railroad pensions and federal disability payments.

The federal government, which issues 73 million payments a month, is phasing out paper checks for all benefit programs, requiring people to get payments electronically, either through direct deposit or a debit card for those without a bank account.

According to the Treasury Department, electronic delivery of the benefits will save both the government and Social Security an enormous amount of money; the federal government will save $120 million a year and Social Security will save $1 billion over the next decade.
The government’s move to “go green” comes at a pivotal point in U.S. history. At the beginning of the year, Baby Boomers began turning age 65 and it’s estimated that between 7,000 and 10,000 more will pass that mark every day for the next 19 years. In 2011, Ohio had a total population of 11.5 million with 14 percent 65 years and older.