OAR 461-165-0140: Endorsement and Survivorship of Benefits

(1) The client or the client's payee must endorse checks issued in payment of a benefit. The endorsement on the check must be the same as the name appearing as payee. (2) The client may endorse a check with a mark or thumbprint if duly witnessed by two people giving their full names and addresses. (3) Benefits issued by EBT (electronic benefit transfer) may be used only with the Oregon Trail debit card and the client's matching personal identification number (PIN). (4) The person with power of attorney may: (a) Act as authorized representative or alternate payee. (b) Endorse and cash the benefit check as in the following example: John Doe (Recipient) by Richard Jones (Power of Attorney) (5) In all programs except the SNAP program, any cash benefit issued to clients before their death is available to their survivors. (a) Checks may be endorsed in the name of the deceased beneficiary by the surviving spouse or next of kin, or by the administrator of their estate. The Department uses the following procedure: (A) Before the next of kin endorses a check, the check must be presented to the branch office. (B) The Department will rubber-stamp the endorsement on the check only if it has been determined that the client died on or after the first day of the period for which the payment was provided. (C) The endorsement must show both the name of the deceased beneficiary and the name of the surviving spouse or next of kin, as well as the relationship of the endorser to the beneficiary. (D) The person who endorses the check receives the proceeds of the benefit. (b) For cash benefits in an EBT account (except for SNAP cash-out benefits), the Department will designate an adult survivor as the alternate payee. The Department will issue the payee an EBT card and PIN to access the balance in the EBT account. (6) In the SNAP program, there is no survivor's right to benefits unless the survivor is independently entitled to benefits as a member of the benefit group. When the survivor is not in the benefit group: (a) The Department will request the return of unnegotiated cash-out checks to the branch. (b) For SNAP benefits that were issued by EBT, if no one remains in the benefit group, the Department will cancel the remaining benefits from the EBT account.