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.

I went through this exact situation with my elderly father about 6 months ago. The SSA definitely requires their own forms - your regular POA won't cut it. What I learned is that timing is everything here. Since your dad can still participate, I'd recommend doing both the SSA-1696 (Appointment of Representative) AND getting the Representative Payee process started with Form SSA-11. The Rep Payee application does require some medical documentation showing incapacity, but if his cognitive issues are documented by his doctor, that should be sufficient. One tip: bring your dad to the SSA office in person if possible. The staff there were much more helpful face-to-face than over the phone, and having him there to sign things and show he understands what's happening made the process smoother. For Medicare, I set up online access through MyMedicare.gov first - you can become an authorized representative there pretty easily while he's still able to consent to it. Don't wait too long on this. The paperwork takes time to process, and you want everything in place before his condition potentially worsens.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation with my mom right now - she's 73 and starting to show signs of memory issues. From what I've researched and experienced so far, the SSA is extremely particular about their own forms and procedures. A few things I've learned that might help: 1. The SSA-1696 form needs to be signed by your father while he's still mentally competent to understand what he's authorizing. Don't wait on this one. 2. For the Representative Payee process (SSA-11), you'll need medical evidence of his incapacity. This can be a statement from his doctor, but it needs to specifically address his ability to manage financial affairs. 3. I found it helpful to contact the SSA office ahead of time to schedule an appointment rather than just walking in. They can tell you exactly what documents to bring for your specific situation. 4. For Medicare, definitely set up the MyMedicare.gov access while he can still participate in the process. It's much easier than dealing with phone calls later. The whole process feels overwhelming, but breaking it down into steps and doing what you can while he's still able to participate makes a huge difference. Good luck with everything!

I'm actually going through this exact process right now with my grandmother who has dementia. Just want to echo what others have said about getting the SSA forms done ASAP while your dad can still understand and sign them. One thing I learned the hard way - even though we had a comprehensive POA that specifically mentioned government benefits, the SSA still wouldn't accept it. They told us their forms are required because they need to verify the person understood they were specifically authorizing someone to handle their Social Security matters. For the medical documentation, our experience was that a letter from her primary care doctor stating she could no longer manage her financial affairs was sufficient for the Representative Payee application. They didn't require extensive neuropsych testing, just clear documentation of cognitive impairment affecting her ability to handle money. Timeline-wise, the Rep Payee approval took about 6-8 weeks after we submitted everything. The SSA-1696 was processed much faster - maybe 2 weeks. Pro tip: when you go to the SSA office, bring multiple forms of ID for both you and your dad, plus copies of everything. They're very particular about documentation, and having extras saved us a return trip.

I've been through this process with both my parents over the past two years, and I can confirm what everyone else is saying - your regular POA documents won't work with the Social Security Administration, no matter how comprehensive they are. Here's what I learned from my experience: For Social Security, you'll need either the SSA-1696 (Appointment of Representative) if your dad is still competent to sign, or you'll need to become a Representative Payee using Form SSA-11 if he's no longer able to manage his affairs. The key is timing - get the SSA-1696 done NOW while he can still understand and consent to it. For Medicare, I had much better luck. The regular financial POA was accepted by most Medicare Advantage plans and supplement insurers, but for direct Medicare matters, setting up authorized representative status through MyMedicare.gov is the cleanest approach. One thing that really helped us was scheduling an appointment at the local SSA office rather than trying to handle everything by phone. Bring your dad with you, along with his ID, your ID, copies of any medical documentation about his cognitive issues, and the POA documents you already have (even though they won't accept them, they help establish the relationship). The Representative Payee process does require annual reporting to SSA about how you're managing the benefits, so factor that ongoing responsibility into your decision. Start this process soon - it takes longer than you'd expect, and you want everything in place before his condition potentially worsens.

I'm currently navigating this same situation with my elderly mother, and I want to emphasize something that hasn't been mentioned yet - the importance of getting multiple copies of any approved SSA forms. When I became my mom's Representative Payee last year, I quickly learned that different departments within SSA sometimes don't communicate well with each other. Having certified copies of the approved Representative Payee designation saved me from having to re-explain our situation multiple times when dealing with different SSA offices or calling about various issues. Also, for anyone considering the Representative Payee route - be prepared for the annual accounting requirement. You'll need to submit Form SSA-623 each year showing how the benefits were spent. It's not difficult, but it does require keeping good records of expenses. I use a separate checking account just for my mom's benefits to make the tracking easier. One more tip: if your parent receives both Social Security and SSI, you may need separate Representative Payee appointments for each program, even though they're both handled by SSA. This wasn't clearly explained to me initially and caused some confusion. The process is definitely manageable once you understand the requirements, but starting early while your dad can still participate is absolutely crucial. Good luck with everything!

I'm dealing with a similar situation with my aging parents and wanted to share what I learned from my research and conversations with SSA staff. The key thing to understand is that Social Security has very specific rules about who can act on someone's behalf, and regular POAs don't meet their requirements. Even if your POA document specifically mentions Social Security benefits, SSA generally won't honor it because they need their own verification process. Here's what you should prioritize: 1. **Get the SSA-1696 form signed immediately** while your dad is still cognitively able to understand what he's signing. This allows you to represent him in dealings with SSA for applications, appeals, and general inquiries. 2. **Consider starting the Representative Payee process (Form SSA-11)** if his cognitive decline is progressing. This gives you authority to actually receive and manage his benefit payments. You'll need medical documentation showing he can't manage his financial affairs. 3. **For Medicare**, your regular POA might work with individual insurance companies, but for direct Medicare matters, set up authorized representative access through MyMedicare.gov while he can still consent. The timing is really critical here. SSA requires the person to be mentally competent when signing their forms, so don't wait too long. I'd recommend calling your local SSA office to schedule an in-person appointment - they can walk you through exactly what documentation you'll need for your specific situation. It's a bit of bureaucratic maze, but getting ahead of it now will save you major headaches later.

I went through this exact process with my father-in-law about 18 months ago, and I can definitely confirm what others have said - your regular POA won't work with Social Security, no matter how well it's written. Here's what I wish someone had told me at the beginning: **Start with the SSA-1696 form immediately** while your dad can still understand and sign it. This is your lifeline for being able to communicate with SSA on his behalf for any future issues that come up. **For the Representative Payee process**, you don't need extensive neurological testing - a letter from his primary care doctor stating that he has cognitive impairment affecting his ability to manage finances was sufficient in our case. The key is that the letter needs to be specific about his inability to handle financial matters, not just general cognitive decline. **Timeline expectations**: The SSA-1696 was approved in about 2 weeks, but the Representative Payee took nearly 3 months to process. Plan accordingly. One thing that really helped us was calling ahead to schedule an appointment and specifically explaining that we needed to discuss both the Appointment of Representative and Representative Payee options. The staff member was able to tell us exactly which documents to bring and even had the forms ready when we arrived. Also, bring a folder with multiple copies of everything - your IDs, his medical records, any existing POA documents (for reference), and bank statements. SSA loves paperwork, and having extras saved us from making multiple trips. You're being smart by addressing this now while he can still participate. Don't wait - cognitive decline can happen faster than you expect.