Social Security recipient unable to withdraw funds from Direct Express card

PALMYRA, Wis. - Thomas Koeppen just moved into a manufactured home in Palmyra. He paid for it in full. The home sale almost didn't happen because Koeppen could not access his own money.

"It was just stuck," said Koeppen.

Adding money to Direct Express card

The backstory:

For years, Koeppen's Social Security payments were deposited onto a Direct Express card, which is a pre-paid card for federal beneficiaries. Koeppen says he had $70,000 on his card. 

Koeppen enlisted his daughters' help to transfer the money into a bank account. The transfer wouldn't go through. His daughters say they spent two months trying to get help from Direct Express, Social Security Administration and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service.

"We just weren't getting any response," said Stayce Koeppen, one of Thomas Koeppen's daughters. "We were making phone calls, and we would get hung up on."

Direct Express rating

Dig deeper:

Direct Express has a one-star customer review rating on the Better Business Bureau's (BBB) website. The BBB has pages of unhappy reviews about its customer service. Stayce Koeppen said they could not get assistance.

"(My dad) was beside himself," said Stayce Koeppen. "He's like, I'm not gonna get my money."

As the Koeppens saw it, their only other option would have been withdrawing their dad's money in smaller amounts daily from ATMs all over town. They said that would "have taken weeks" because of ATM withdrawal limits.

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"It's mine," said Thomas Koeppen. "But I couldn't get it. I was in limbo. What the heck do I do?"

The resolution

What we know:

Stayce Koeppen said they sent all requested documentation to Direct Express. When that didn't work, the family wrote to Contact 6.

"You guys were great," said Stayce Koeppen. "You were like, the backbone to our success."

The Koeppens said within two weeks, they heard from a Direct Express customer advocacy representative. They finally got the help they needed to transfer the money.

"I called my sister immediately and said, ‘Contact 6 did this,’" said Stayce Koeppen."

The other side:

Fifth Third is the financial agent for the Direct Express Program. It said it reached out to the Koeppens after hearing from Contact 6, and the situation was "satisfactorily resolved."

The Bank sent Contact 6 a statement saying, "every attempt was made to meet the cardholders' request while satisfying required verification and security requirements..." It went on to say, "At present, all security concerns have been fully addressed; transfers are functioning normally..."

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Weeks later, Thomas Koeppen is settled into his new home. His daughters said in the end, the final hurdle to their transfer problem was simple. They had to enter a '0' before their dad's bank account number for the transfer to clear. They said it is information they never got from customer service until Contact 6 stepped in.

Full response

Statement from Fifth Third and the Fiscal Service Media Team

"While we cannot share specific account detail due to privacy and security restrictions, we can share that every attempt was made to meet cardholders’ request while satisfying required verification and security requirements. Our team works carefully in line with established fraud and risk protocols to protect both federal funds and cardholders. At present, all security concerns have been fully addressed, transfers are functioning normally and the cardholder is conducting successful transactions."

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