Do regular Power of Attorney documents work for Social Security and Medicare or do they require specific forms?

Regular POAs generally won't work with the Social Security Administration. They have their own form called an 'Appointment of Representative' (Form SSA-1696) that you need to complete to handle someone else's Social Security matters. The SSA is very particular about this. For Medicare, it depends on what you need to do. If you need to talk to Medicare directly about claims, you'll need to complete their 'Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information' form (CMS-10106). However, if you just need to manage her Medicare plan choices, your financial POA might be sufficient with the insurance companies. You're smart to address this now while your father can still participate!

we had this EXACT problem last year with my mother-in-law!!! the regular POA did NOT work at all with social security. they wouldnt even talk to me even tho i had the papers right in front of me. such a headache. get their special form asap

To add to what others have said - there's an important distinction between being a Representative Payee and having a Power of Attorney for Social Security matters. If your father becomes unable to manage his benefits, SSA typically requires a Representative Payee to be appointed (using Form SSA-11). This is different from their Form SSA-1696 (Appointment of Representative), which is more for representing someone during the application/appeal process. The Representative Payee arrangement gives you the authority to receive and manage the benefit payments on his behalf. SSA will determine if this is necessary based on evidence of incapability. You should definitely contact your local SSA office to discuss the specific situation and what forms are most appropriate in your case.

My sisters and I went through this mess with our mom last year. The SSA is INCREDIBLY difficult to deal with on these matters. We had a perfectly legal POA drawn up by an elder law attorney, and the SSA basically ignored it. Had to jump through so many hoops and file their specific paperwork. And just wait until you try calling them! I spent HOURS on hold only to get disconnected. Multiple times. Their offices were still dealing with COVID backlog when we were trying to sort this out. Absolute nightmare.

just wondering why ppl are saying regular poas dont work? my mom's financial poa worked fine with social security. maybe depends on how it was written? ours specifically mentioned social security benefits in the document

You all are making this way more complicated than it needs to be. Here's my experience: 1. If your parent is still competent, just go with them in person to the SS office. Much easier than trying to get a POA to work. 2. For Medicare stuff, you can become an "authorized representative" pretty easily online through their MyMedicare portal. 3. If your dad is already having cognitive issues, you should start the Representative Payee process now rather than relying on a POA. Don't overthink it. Just call your local office and they'll tell you exactly what to do for your situation.

my husband tried the Claimyr thing someone mentioned above when he was dealing with his mom's SS problems. it did get him thru to a person pretty quick tbh. better than spending all day on hold!

One more thing - make sure you're dealing with actual government websites. There are LOTS of scam sites offering to "help" with Social Security forms. Only trust ssa.gov and medicare.gov for official forms and information.