Washington, D.C.--Congressman Eliot Engel said that the $250 economic recovery payments for Social Security recipients, authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, began going out May 7th.

Rep. Engel said the Social Security Administration will deliver the $250 payment by check to those recipients who receive their Social Security benefit by check and by direct deposit for those recipients who receive their Social Security benefit by direct deposit.

In addition, the $250 economic recovery payments will also go to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, Railroad Retirement recipients, and disabled veterans. The payments are scheduled to begin going out to SSI recipients in mid-May, to Railroad Retirement recipients in late May, and to disabled veterans in June.

Rep. Engel said if two people are on Social Security in the same house (i.e. elderly couple), both of them get a recovery payment. But a person receiving money from more than one program (for example, both Social Security and SSI), will get one check.

The checks will be sent to people who were in a qualifying program before February 1st of this year.