One more thing I forgot to mention - when you call back, try to use their exact terminology. Instead of just saying your daughter "needs care" or "has disabilities," be specific about the "exercise of parental control and responsibility" and that you "provide personal services, supervision and direction" - those are the exact phrases from their policy manual that they're trained to look for.

good luck!! update us after u call again! my aunt might be in same situation soon

they asked me for a letter from his doctor about his care needs and why he cant be left alone. i also gave them his guardianship papers and IEP from when he was in school showing his severe disability. and my work schedule showing i only work part time now to care for him

To answer the recent question - grandparents can qualify for this benefit in place of parents if they are the legal guardian providing care for a disabled individual receiving survivor benefits. The same criteria apply regarding care requirements and work limitations. One important note for everyone: If approved, the Mother's/Father's benefit is generally 75% of the deceased person's primary insurance amount, but may be reduced by the family maximum benefit limit if multiple people receive benefits on the same earnings record. This is something to be aware of when calculating potential benefit amounts.

Just my 2 cents - everybody's situation is different. My wife and I decided I'd file at 62 and she'd wait til 70 since her benefit was bigger. Worked great for us, we're 15 years into retirement and no regrets. Health problems can change everything tho so dont just think about the math, think about QUALITY OF LIFE!!

Has anyone mentioned survivor benefits yet? This is HUGE in your planning! When one spouse dies, the surviving spouse basically continues with the HIGHER of the two benefit amounts. So if you delay till 70 and get say $4200/month, then pass away, your husband would get that $4200/month for the rest of HIS life (assuming it's higher than his own benefit). So even if you delay and don't live super long, your husband could benefit from your higher amount for DECADES, especially with that 3 year age difference. This is especially important with his WEP situation limiting his own benefit.

My friend's husband died last year and she got survivors benefits at 60 without any earnings test! why is that different from retirement?

When I had to figure out my strategy, I made a spreadsheet comparing different scenarios. Have you run the numbers for: 1) Claim at 62 + part-time work, 2) Work full-time until 63 or 64 then claim, and 3) Work until FRA? Each year you delay claiming increases your benefit by about 7-8%. It's really a math problem specific to your situation.

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.

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.