My husband is in nursing home with dementia and is receiving Medicaid benefits.

I had to handle something similar for my mother when she came home from the nursing home. Her SS checks were going directly to the home and I had to become her Representative Payee. I went to the local SS office and was given some paperwork that needed to be filled out. They made an appointment for me so I could come back and not have to wait. They asked me a few questions and then it was taken care of. They were quite helpful.

MH - Why not keep the joint account - with his SS going into it - as set up and you then you as a signature on the account just write a check to the NH for the copay or SOC (share of cost) required by Medicaid? BUT you go an open your own bank account in your name with whomever is your DPOA &/or future executor as a signature and POD on the account? And that new account is all your $ and $ excluded from Medicaid.

Yes you could go an become the representative payee but personally I think that is a totally unnecessary butt-rash to deal with.

? For you?...did you work with an elder law atty to get your CSRA or MMNA amount set at the highest amount possible? CSRA / MMNA are the allowance made to a community spouse to enable them to live as close as possible as they did with 2 incomes. It can be quite high too...like for TX it's almost $ 2,900.00 So say his SS is 3k a mo & you can show significant costs, his copay to the NH for his SOC could be only $ 100! Really IMO for community spouse situations an elder law atty is pretty much needed to protect your interests financially. Medicaid for him does not require that you yourself become impoverished (only he must meet Medicaid income & asset limits) but doing things to ensure this is just not a DIY project IMHO.

Is it not possible to leave your name on the joint account and then open one separately for you ?

They never make it easy! If you come to the end of your rope, call your senator or congressperson. That really can be helpful. Squeaky wheel and all that.

If you go to the Social Security website, they have a section for how to become a Representative Payee. If his funds go into an account that does not have your name, you are supposed to be a Representative Payee to handle them. Someone at your local office should be able to give you direction.

Have you contacted your local SS office for help? Maybe they will accept a form signed by him as proof, along with a note from his Primary care doctor of his limitations.