Has any other caretaker/daughter received a letter from the US Office of Personnel Management with a form that needs to be filled out and notarized? It wants verification of annuitant info regarding my mom's monthly annuity benefits. AND I will need to fill out a Representative Payee form, submit a voided check, give my ID and, I'm not sure but I think her doctor has to fill out a competency form IF I apply to be the Representative Payee. I asked why would I need to jump through so many hoops to fill it out when everything's working fine. The answer I received was "a Representative Payee is recommended because OPM does not recognize POAs." WHY WOULD OPM NEED TO RECOGNIZE ME? Has anyone else received this intrusive form and if so, do you advise filling out the Competency / Representative Payee info?Thank you.
After lots of research, I found: Since My mom put my name on all her checking accounts as co-owner I don't have to worry about jumping through hoops to apply to be the representative payee.
Thanks for your help!
Until the OP answers my questions, we won't know what is going on. IMO she has triggered something to be getting this info. They just don't send things out willy nilly. Until OP explains what the paperwork says, we have no idea what is going on.
Anyway, thanks for explaining it further... it makes sense now; my dad worked for the government, and though they referred to my mother as the annuitant, it was not an annuity. It is my dad's pension. I didn't realize government employees don't get ss. They get pensions.
My sister, government employee, is deceased and her disabled son gets her pension (annuity). I am payee. Before me was my Mom. When she could no longer perform her duties, I wrote requesting that I be made payee. I just looked at my files and I had filled out a form and attached a letter from her PCP. Nothing needed to be notarized. This was done in 2017.
I haven't got a letter in ages but I have occasionally received where they ask if the annuity is being used for nephew and how. I just fill it out and send it back. Have never needed a notary.
Is Mom able to handle her own finances? If so, then the POA is not invoked and Mom does not need a payee. My question would be, if you did not request being her payee, why did they send you this info? That would be my question to them.
With a payee, a separate acct is to be set up for just that payment which is directly deposited. Thats why the need for a blank voided check for the deposit. Is Moms payment now in a check or direct deposit?
Its really hard trying to explain all this without being able to see what you were sent.
I learned that I don't have to be concerned with becoming her representative via OPM because my mom had the foresight to make me co-owner on all her accounts.
I filled out the form to verify that she's still alive, took a picture with her with a newspaper from yesterday, copied her ID and went to a notary where she signed it in front of him. All taken care of. Thank you
ARE you in charge of POA and acting in all executive functioning for your mother?
Yes, it is my opinion that you should become the Rep Payee and should fill in these forms.
And do know that your POA is not accepted by Social Security and many other entities as well. Sadly. It makes attempting to function for a failing parent quite the nightmare in setting things up with everyone wanting a different document and different proofs. I well remember first year acting as POA/Trustee for my brother. Once everything was set up it all went relatively smoothly, but the setup was awful, and had my brother, diagnosed with probable early Lewy's Dementia, not been able to converse with these entities it would have been worse than it was.
Best of luck.