She is physically disabled to the point it's nearly impossible for her to go to the SSA office. But she can handle her financials. The nursing home also claims they no longer have her bank account info. SSA have stopped payments because she doesn't have the account info from the nursing home. I mailed them proof of identity, proof of address will this help? How can she go around this without actually go to the nearest office? Can I go for her?
They are going to require that because the professionals have tagged her mental capacity, now that is recorded and they will want to ensure that it is her and she is mentally capable to make decisions.
If there has been a recent on-line change (like new direct deposit bank account) or filed a representative payee & your trying to now do another change, SS is going to want the elder in person at a SSA office & they need to appear competent and cognitive. On-line portal will be locked out. SS# is red flagged. Abt fraud prevention.
BUT I have a ? for you...... is your mom in NH under Medicaid or “Medicaid Pending”???
if so, she is required to do a copay or SOC (share of cost) of basically all her monthly income paid to the NH. Once Medicaid involved all she will have for flexible $ is a small personal needs allowance (PNA) of $50-$60 a mo avg. PNA Is it for income now. If NH is getting SS$, the PNA will be placed each month in a trust account at the NH which the dpoa can come in to sign off to get OR has the PNA $ getting deducted for her phone/cable if not included or bimonthly visits to hairdresser. The copay requirement often comes as beyond a total surprise to families.
Is this your situation?
If so, NH is taking the view they are helping her stay in compliance for Medicaid. Once onto Medicaid, copay must be done unless there’s a community spouse or prior existing legal dependent of hers or other rare situation. What NH tend to do is have NH resident sign over for facility or corporate office to become their representative payee for SS. Now she does not have to do this but the NH will need some sort of assurance that copay will be done...... usually it means dpoa signs off a financial responsibility agreement with the NH upon admission. If this wasn’t done proactively by family when doing admission paperwork, the NH will go the sign SS $ over to them route. If she’s going to be remaining in NH under Medicaid getting this changed back now won’t be easy imo unless you / dpoa signs a binding contract that you will be financially responsible & perhaps do a deposit.
If your mom has left the NH and returned to live with family so no longer on LTC Medicaid program, she files to SSA for rep payee authority to be transferred from NH to DPOA or family member with monthly income into an existing solo bank account of the elder only. DPOA will be a signatory on the account. Btw representative payee has reporting requirements. It’s likely 2 full cycles before this can be done & maybe at mo 4 she gets whatever $ SSA claws back from the NH; NH will prorate $ by # of days of the last month too. They cannot hold the PNA $ if she has zero due, but that’s a separate request dpoa has to do to the NH (not Medicaid).
If you’re in situation where you’ve been living with mom & her SS$ has been contributing to household expenses, & she’s staying in the NH on Medicaid, well that $ from her is gone.
If mom has debts or a mortgage, she really will not have SS$ anymore to pay on those. She will default on debts unless you or other family pays them of her behalf.
Again the copay requirement family is gobsmacked about having to deal with. The expectation is Medicaid (or Medicare) just pays all without affecting the elders finances. Not so.