Social Security checks soon will be obsolete

It's an electronic world, and holdouts will be dragged into it -- kicking and screaming if necessary.

The latest sign is the pending elimination of paper Social Security checks, which could affect several million beneficiaries nationally and an estimated 50,000 or so in Arizona. The deadline for signing up for either direct deposit or a debit card is March 1.

"Switching to an electronic payment is not optional -- it's the law," said David Lebryk, commissioner of the Treasury Department's financial-management service, in a statement.

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