Can my 90-year-old mom apply for increased SS spousal benefits with back pay while homebound with Parkinsons?

Your mother can absolutely apply for the increased spousal benefit without going into an office! Since she's unable to visit in person due to her medical condition, SSA offers several alternatives: 1. She can apply by phone - call the main SSA number at 1-800-772-1213 to schedule a phone appointment (though wait times can be frustrating) 2. You might be able to help her apply online at ssa.gov (though the spousal benefit application sometimes requires direct contact) 3. In special circumstances like this, SSA may arrange a home visit As for back payments - yes, she may be eligible for up to 6 months of retroactive benefits from the date she applies. Unfortunately, they don't go back to when she first became eligible. I'd also strongly recommend looking into Medicaid - with their ages and medical conditions, they likely qualify. This could provide in-home care assistance which sounds critically needed in your situation.

my aunt was in similar situation. she got back pay for 4 months only not the whole time she coulda been getting more. they dont give u all the years back just a few months. good luck getting thru on phone tho its IMPOSSIBLE

In addition to what others have said, I'd strongly recommend that you look into becoming your parents' Representative Payee. Based on what you've described (dad with dementia, mom with advanced Parkinsons), they may need help managing their benefits. As a Rep Payee, you'd be authorized to receive their payments and use the money for their care and needs. For the spousal benefits application, call SSA directly but expect EXTREME wait times. When I tried helping my father with a similar situation last year, I was on hold for over 3 hours before being disconnected. Then tried again the next day and waited 2.5 hours. It's unbelievably frustrating. I finally used Claimyr.com to connect with an agent quickly - saved me hours of waiting. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Was definitely worth it for me since I couldn't afford to spend entire days on hold. Also check with your local Area Agency on Aging - they often have benefit counselors who can help navigate both the SS and Medicaid applications simultaneously.

Dont get your hopes up to high about backpay. My mom only got 4 months even though she shouldve been getting higher amount for YEARS!! The system is so unfair to seniors its disgusting. And medicaid has so much paperwork youll be drowning in it for months!!!!

Social Security specialist here. Let me clarify a few points that might help: 1. For spousal benefits, your mother doesn't need to visit an office. Call SSA directly at 1-800-772-1213 and explain her homebound status. They can complete most of the application by phone. 2. Retroactive benefits: By law, spousal benefits can only be paid retroactively for a maximum of 6 months from the application date, regardless of how long she may have been eligible. 3. Representative Payee: Given your father's dementia and your mother's Parkinson's, you should consider becoming their Representative Payee. This requires Form SSA-11 and typically medical documentation confirming they need assistance managing benefits. 4. Medicaid eligibility: With their ages and medical conditions, they likely qualify for your state's Medicare Savings Program at minimum, which would cover Medicare premiums, and possibly full Medicaid which could provide critical in-home care services. 5. Request an "immediate need" designation when you call - this can sometimes expedite the process given their ages and conditions.

Has anyone here tried applying online for a parent? I tried doing this last month and the website kept crashing when I got to the medical information section. Wasted 2 hours just to start over. So frustrating!

Something important no one has mentioned - make sure you get your mom's Medicare Savings Program application going ASAP too. With their situation, they likely qualify for QMB or SLMB programs that will pay their Medicare premiums, saving about $2200/year total for both of them. That's separate from full Medicaid but much easier to qualify for. For the Social Security spousal benefit increase, try calling right when they open (at 8am local time) - that's when wait times are shortest. Before calling, make sure you have both their Social Security numbers, benefit amounts, and dates of birth ready. When my mom needed a benefit adjustment at age 88, I found that our local SSA office was actually more helpful than the national number. You might try finding the direct number to your local office. Sometimes they can even arrange a phone appointment specifically for complex elderly cases like yours.

dont bother with the phone unless you want to wait 3 hours!!! go to the offfice in person and bring your mom's ID and your dad's too

I went through something similar with my grandparents last year. One thing to consider - if your mom gets approved for the higher spousal benefit, make sure SSA knows where to deposit it. If she's been getting her own benefit via direct deposit, they should use the same account, but sometimes they mess up and send a paper check for the new amount which can cause confusion. Also, when you call SSA, specifically ask about their "Compassionate Allowances" process since both your parents have serious medical conditions. This won't affect the benefit amount but might expedite the processing. And definitely pursue the Medicaid application simultaneously - at their ages with those medical conditions, they'd likely qualify for home health aide services which would be life-changing given what you described.