Nearly 4 million Social Security and Supplementary Security income recipients do not have bank accounts, eliminating the direct-deposit option and placing them at greater risk of check delivery delays due to lost or stolen checks, poor weather and other problems. To provide safer and cheaper benefits payments for these recipients, the U.S. Treasury recently announced plans to introduce a prepaid debit card. The full story to be published in the July 9 edition of The Millen News.