SSA Representative Payee

Lynne D

Is there any value in going through the process of becoming your married spouse’s “representative payee” for Social Security? It involves an 8n-person visit and they determine who it should be. My husband has been on private long-term disability (he worked for a state and did not pay into Social Security for most of his career). It ends when he turns 65. 

I am wondering if it is just easier to sign him up myself and collect his signature on documents. All of our accounts and joint and funds commingled.

janeymack

Has he applied for Social Security Disability? When a favorable SS Disability determination is granted for Alzheimer's, they designate the spouse as Representative Payee due to the recipient's inability to manage finances. In our case, it was automatic with no personal visit required.

I realize your H is now 65, but one important benefit of obtaining the SSD determination of disability is that the disabled person is eligible for Medicare at age 62.

Lynne D

Thanks for the idea Janeymack, but he does not qualify for SSI disability because he worked for a state for the last 14 years of his career.

Quilting brings calm

I feel like you are combining multiple steps into one. 

Signing up for whatever version of social security he is eligible for ( normal, the lower minimum one for people who didn’t get enough work quarters in) …

And a step where you are assigned as his representative. 

I’m not old enough to be familiar with the actual signup process.  My understanding is that it’s done either at one of the  office locations, or can be done online. It might be done over the phone now too due to Covid restrictions? 

I know the representative payee process can be done via the phone right now.  Something about making an appointment and then both he and you would be talked to, but I think there are issues if he isn’t able to answer enough questions to be able to identify  himself and grant you authority. Then there is paperwork to prove you spent their money wisely in the future 

Many family members just opt to let the current payments continue to be direct deposited into an account and go from there.  Of course you either need to be jointly on the account to or have POA that the bank recognizes. 

Question about the private disability:  if he worked for a state and did not pay into social security, he should be getting a pension once the disability ends.  Have you checked into that? Because it’s quite possible that the check will continue to come, but be designated as a pension payment rather than disability once he hits that magic birthday.  The federal government will not allow states to opt out is social security unless they have a pension plan that meets or exceeds social security payment levels. 

I currently get a small pension from our state.  I worked for this state for 14 years. It’s not as big as others because I did also pay into social security while working there. It’s a complicated pay structure - teachers don’t pay into social security,  the rest of us did after a given start date. 

Joe C.

Lynne, If you sign your husband up with the SSA online account there is an option to designate someone (yourself) to manage his SS benefits.

Lynne D

Thanks Joe C.

Quilting brings calm: He receives a pension and a private disability payment that brings him to 66% of his pre-disability salary. The pension is deducted from the 66% cap. Once he reaches 65 his pension continues, his disability insurance stops, and he goes on Social Security. Because of quarters worked in private industry, he has some income there, but did not quality for Social Security Disability because he hadn't paid into it for a number of years before he became disabled.