<prompt> Human: FYI, I am using a throwaway to ask my question. I am probably providing too much information but it explains why opening a new bank account may not be easy or prudent at the moment.I do not currently have a bank account. My Credit Union account was locked over a year ago even though I was still paying off my credit card on time. I remember getting a letter from the bank saying that a lien ? or something similar, had been placed against my account. The best that I could figure is that it was for a year of back taxes that I owed before my house was foreclosed. That is the last that I heard about it. No letters from a lawyer or my local or state govt arrived.Fast forward a year and I am awarded monthly SSDI payments and back pay, all on a debit card.I went to talk to someone at a new bank and they scared the crap out of me. They tell me that the Fed Govt can swoop in at anytime and just remove my money from a bank account if I owe on Fed Student Loans I do AND ??? from my debit card. What I have done in the last month:1 Started the Total and Permanent Discharge process for my student loans which is supposed to freeze any collections attempts for 3 months. If you are not approved all bets are off after 3 months.2 Called my old credit union who said that they have no idea what I am talking about when I bring up the lien. They said that I had stopped paying my credit card which I contend is not true. Anyway, a collection agency now owns the CC debt so they dont care. 3 I searched my county government website for court casesback taxes in my name and there is nothing. Zilch.Any advice as to how I should safeguard my money? Get it off the debit card and put it where? There are many articles in the NYT and elsewhere saying that the Fed Govt is not honoring their promise to not garnish student loanSSISSDI payments.Whew. If you made it this far, thank you for reading.  <response>: You should sign up for Income-Based Repayment for your fed loans. Its very simple and available online through the governments student loan official website. Even though you have been paid out a lump sum for back owed disability, they base the loan payments on taxes and your income. This should give you some wiggle room for paying little to nothing back while still following the rules until you are able to make enough money to pay back more without being tapped dry. You may also want to find a local credit union where you can open an account. Bring the debit card and your personal info and use that money to set up the account. Then, you can contact your local Social Security office to redirect your monthly checks. Most credit unions will accept monthly SSI checks as sufficient to hold a checking account without a fee. Just a heads up, the gov can take money out for back-owed taxesliens but you should really head to your local office and sit down with a rep who can break down the details for you. Good luck! Source: Im on disability and fought with them for years. 