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My sister went thru this with my mom. The caregiver payments were a problem during Medicaid application cuz they didn't have a formal agreement. They ended up having to pay back some money to qualify mom for Medicaid. Make sure you're charging a fair market rate. In our area agencies charge like $25-30/hr for similar care, so document your hours to show you're not overcharging.
That's helpful context - thank you. I'm probably providing 20-25 hours of active care weekly, plus being on-call constantly. So $375 is probably around $15-18/hour which seems reasonable. Did your sister have to repay everything or just the amount that exceeded market rates?
Since everyone's focused on Medicaid, I want to address your Social Security question specifically: When someone needs a nursing home, their Social Security benefits typically continue but may be used differently: 1. If she goes on Medicaid, most of her Social Security check will go to the facility as her "patient responsibility" contribution, with a small personal needs allowance (usually $30-60/month depending on state). 2. You should become her representative payee with SSA before facility placement to ensure proper handling of benefits. 3. The caregiver payments won't affect her Social Security benefits directly, but will be scrutinized during Medicaid application. Call SSA directly about the rep payee process - it requires specific forms and sometimes an in-person interview.
Good luck reaching an actual person at SSA! I tried for weeks before using Claimyr. The rep payee process also requires form SSA-11 and they usually want medical documentation about why the beneficiary can't manage their own benefits. Get a letter from her doctor about the dementia diagnosis to speed things up.
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question - did they say anything about back benefits? my friend was widowed 4 yrs ago and just found out she could've been getting survivors this whole time. she applied and got 6 mo backpay but that's it. wondering if there's a limit on how far back they'll go?
For survivor benefits, you can generally only get up to 6 months of retroactive benefits from when you apply. That's why it's so important to apply as soon as you're eligible, even if you think you might be affected by the earnings test. The exception is for disability benefits, where you can get up to 12 months of retroactive benefits. But for retirement and survivors, it's maximum 6 months back from application date.
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my neigbor got ex spouse benefits even with a government pension but only because his ex made ALOT of money and had huge ss benefit. depends on the numbers in your case
This is correct. If your ex-spouse's benefit is high enough, you might get something even after the GPO reduction. For example, if your ex would qualify you for $1,500 in spousal benefits, and your GPO reduction is $1,000, you'd still get $500 monthly.
One more thing to consider - you mentioned you didn't have enough credits for your own Social Security benefit. However, if you've worked any jobs covered by Social Security since your initial application (even part-time), you might be closer to qualifying for your own benefit. It takes 40 credits (about 10 years of work) to qualify for retirement benefits on your own record, and those benefits wouldn't be subject to GPO (though they could be reduced by WEP). Even a small benefit on your own record might be better than nothing if the GPO eliminates your ex-spouse benefit entirely.
That's an interesting point. I did work part-time at a retail store for about 4 years after retiring from my government job. I didn't think that would be enough to qualify for anything, but maybe those credits could help somehow. I'll definitely bring that up when I contact SSA.
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I'm a bit confused about something here... isn't 59 too young to collect spousal benefits unless you're caring for a child under 16? So wouldn't your wife lose her benefit anyway when your youngest turns 16 regardless of whether she works or not?
You're absolutely right. The original poster mentioned his wife is receiving benefits as a spouse caring for their children (who are 10 and 12). This is technically the "mother's or father's benefit" which is available to a spouse of any age who is caring for the worker's child under 16. Once the youngest child turns 16, she would no longer be eligible for this particular benefit regardless of employment status.
Yes, that's correct. My wife is getting the benefit because she's caring for our children. We know that benefit will end when our youngest turns 16 anyway. We're just trying to figure out if it makes financial sense for her to voluntarily give it up sooner by returning to work.
You should really consider the whole financial picture. In my case, when my wife went back to work, we lost her SS benefit BUT: 1. She got health insurance through her employer which saved us $580/month 2. She started contributing to a 401k again 3. Her take-home pay was way more than the SS benefit Just some things to think about beyond just the SS payment itself.
That's excellent advice and a good reminder to look at the complete financial picture. The potential employer does offer health insurance and a retirement plan, which would be significant additional benefits beyond just the salary. Thank you!
Charlee Coleman
WAIT i just realized something!!! Was your husband already collecting disability before switching to retirement??? Because that changes EVERYTHING about how they calculate this!!!
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Oscar O'Neil
•No, he wasn't on disability. He was just working up until last year and decided to retire early at 63 instead of waiting until his full retirement age.
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Sara Hellquiem
After reading through this thread and your responses, I'm confident the SSA made the correct determination, but they failed to explain it properly. Based on the numbers you've shared, your husband's PIA is likely around $1,300, which exceeds 50% of your PIA ($1,065). Even though his actual payment is reduced to $935 because he's claiming early, the spousal benefit calculation still uses the PIA amounts. I'd recommend requesting a detailed breakdown of both your PIAs from SSA and the spousal benefit calculation so you fully understand the determination.
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Oscar O'Neil
•Thank you! I think I understand now. We'll definitely ask for that detailed breakdown next time we speak with them. It's frustrating they didn't explain it clearly the first time, but at least I now know what questions to ask.
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