Senator Collins Announces Veterans Will Receive Coronavirus Rebate Checks Automatically

Washington, D.C. – Following a bipartisan push by U.S. Senator Susan Collins, veterans who receive Compensation and Pension (C&P) benefit payments will automatically receive their rebate check (“economic impact payment” or “EIP”) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and will not be required to file a tax return. 

“Maine veterans who receive disability compensation and other VA benefits will now automatically receive their coronavirus rebate check.  I worked closely with Senator Sinema to remove a bureaucratic hurdle that could have prevented certain veterans from receiving the rebate they are entitled to,” said Senator Collins.  “I am pleased that the Treasury Department, the IRS, and the Department of Veterans Affairs worked together to update their policy in order to allow veterans who normally do not file taxes to receive these checks automatically.”

Many non-tax filing beneficiaries have already begun using the “Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info” tool to provide basic personal information to receive their EIP.  There will be no interruption to payments being processed using this online tool.  Veterans with Internet access are encouraged to continue providing information.

For those who do not have access or choose not to use the “Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info” tool, their EIP will be processed with no further action required from them. 

VA recipients who didn’t file a tax return in 2018 or 2019 and have qualifying children under age 17 will need to take an extra step to receive the $500 per dependent child payment, in addition to their automatic payment of $1,200. They should now go to the IRS’s webpage at www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info-here and visit the Non-Filers: Enter Your Payment Info section to provide their information.  If VA recipients in this group do not provide their information to the IRS soon, they will have to wait until later to receive the $500 per qualifying child.

Earlier this month, Senator Collins announced that Social Security beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will not be required to file a tax return in order to receive a rebate check.