Social Security checks lost in the mail

Published 12:00 am Thursday, December 6, 2007

THE SELMA TIMES-JOURNAL

About 2,000 Social Security recipients in Alabama haven&8217;t gotten their checks yet.

More than half of those people live in Selma and began looking for the government-issued checks for disability and pension, among others, on Monday.

Email newsletter signup

Four zip codes in Alabama were affected &8212; 36701 and 36803 in Selma, 35715 in Union Grove and 36750 in Maplesville.

Colanero said all but about 200 of the 2,000 missing checks had been found, and they were still looking for the others. The found checks will get to their rightful owners soon, she promised.

She said they were focusing on the Montgomery and Birmingham mail distribution centers.

James Howard, Selma postmaster, said they have received more than 150 calls. Some residents who receive their checks by mail have called twice.

Howard said postal workers have emailed all over searching for the missing checks, and so far no response.

Calvin Rumph of the state Social Security office in Birmingham said they had the same problem, but the checks were found in Philadelphia. &8220;They&8217;ll be delivered tomorrow,&8221; he said.

Anyone who has not received a check may get a replacement in a couple of days by calling the Social Security office at

1-800-772-1213.