Will POA money affect my father's Social Security and Medicare benefits in Iowa?

I think you might be confusing some terms here. A POA (Power of Attorney) doesn't make you a "beneficiary" - it just gives you legal authority to make decisions and handle finances on someone else's behalf. It doesn't mean you receive money from it. Are you maybe talking about a trust or some other financial arrangement? The answer depends on exactly what's been set up.

My son has my POA and it dosent affect my social securtiy at all. As long as your not taking his money for yourself your fine. Its just so you can help him with his money not take it.

To clarify some important points about Power of Attorney and Social Security benefits: 1. Having a POA itself does not affect Social Security or Medicare benefits. It's simply a legal arrangement allowing you to make decisions on your father's behalf. 2. Social Security looks at the beneficiary's income and resources, not the POA agent's finances. 3. If your father receives SSI (Supplemental Security Income) in addition to regular Social Security retirement, there are strict resource limits ($2,000 for individuals). 4. For Medicare, his Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) is based on his tax returns from two years prior, not on POA arrangements. 5. As his POA, be careful not to commingle his funds with yours, and keep good records of all transactions you make on his behalf. Hope this helps clarify things!

Be VERY careful! My mom had POA for my grandma and Social Security accused her of misusing funds even though she didn't!!! They made her fill out tons of paperwork and threatened to cut off benefits! It was a NIGHTMARE that took months to resolve! The system is broken and they treat everyone like criminals!!! 😡

Yeah, she had to provide bank statements, receipts, and a detailed accounting of EVERY PENNY she spent on grandma's behalf for a whole year! Keep EVERYTHING - even small receipts for medications or groceries. And document EVERY conversation with SS - dates, names, what was said. They're looking for any excuse to cut benefits!!!

hey just wanted to say I've been my dad's POA for 3 years in Iowa and never had any problems with his ss or medicare. just make sure ur keeping his $ separate from urs and ur good

My situation is similar but with my mother who has dementia. The POA itself doesn't affect benefits but watch out because if you're helping manage finances, any gifts or transfers could potentially affect Medicaid eligibility if that ever becomes necessary for nursing home care. Iowa has a 5-year lookback period for asset transfers. Just something to keep in mind for future planning.

I work with seniors and see this confusion often. A POA (Power of Attorney) is just legal authority to act on someone's behalf - it doesn't change benefit eligibility at all. However, here are some things to be aware of: 1. If your father is on standard Medicare and Social Security retirement (not SSI or Medicaid), then the POA arrangement itself won't impact benefits. 2. If you're using the POA to manage a bank account that receives direct deposits of Social Security, make sure you're keeping good records. Social Security can ask for an accounting if they receive concerns about fund usage. 3. Consider becoming his Representative Payee with Social Security if his cognitive issues are significant. This is different from POA and is recognized by SSA directly. By the way, if you're having trouble reaching Social Security to discuss this, I recently found a service called Claimyr that helps you get through to a real person at SSA without the endless hold times. Saved me hours of frustration when I needed to sort out my aunt's benefits. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU

Wats a representive payee? Is that better than POA for social security stuff??

someone told me that the social security office in iowa city is way better than the one in des moines if u need to talk to someone in person about complicated stuff like this. might be worth the drive if ur nearby.

I used that Claimyr service mentioned above when I needed to sort out my disability back-pay issues. It actually worked pretty well - got through to someone at SSA in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours or getting disconnected. The video demo shows exactly how it works. Definitely worth considering if you need specific answers about your dad's situation.

No personal info needed except for payment. They just connect you directly to SSA's phone system but get you past the hold times. You still talk directly to official SSA representatives. I was skeptical too but it worked as advertised. The video on their site shows exactly how it works.

Coming back to your original question: In Iowa specifically, there are no state-specific rules that would make POA arrangements affect Social Security or Medicare differently than federal guidelines. The same federal rules apply in all states. As long as your father's own income and resources haven't changed, his benefits should remain the same regardless of the POA arrangement.