How can I change SS direct deposit without taking severely demented Dad to SS office?

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helennnn Asked March 2017

How can I change SS direct deposit without taking severely demented Dad to SS office?

My Dad's bank was sold and his account numbers changed. He is no longer receiving his SS checks. He can't talk or write, so there is no sense in taking Dad to the SS office. He is almost impossible to move. All I need is for SS to make direct deposit to new bank. I have been there 4 times & several hours to clear this mess up. No one seems able to help & they all have a different story. This is the kind of behind the scene things us caregivers deal with that nobody sees. It is constant & frustrating. I want to quit this job & run away from home!

Elder Law

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score 0 · Answer 1

I just went through this.

Call social security...get them to mail to you the form ... they do not accept the POA

Take it to the doctor. Doc has to fill out the reasons why the patient cannot handle their own affairs...and sign it

Take this back to social security office...along with a bunch of other forms you with sign while you are there. Then..in a couple weeks...the process is complete.

Bring the banking info too....they will want account and routing info.

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score 0 · Answer 2

Yay! and BTW, I feel your pain. Mom cut up her SS card and her driver's license. Now, I can't get her a new SS card without her DL, and I can't get the DL because I don't have enough identifying documents. Apparently being born and living in the U.S. for 77 years isn't enough. LOL pulling hair out now. :-)

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score 4 · Answer 3

Going online worked! Thank you so much, everybody, for your answers.

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score 2 · Answer 4

I also went on-line and set up an account for my Dad. When he changed banks, it was easy to change over his Social Security check to the new bank. Now that was a year ago, and SS was starting to make changes to its on-line accounts making it more difficult to get into an account.

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score 3 · Answer 5

I changed my moms online.

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score 3 · Answer 6

Hi helennnn,

Well done on planning ahead and having obtained POA for your father. It is so frustrating when institutions refuse to accept this and make you pursue additional authorizations.

Does your dad happen to have a "my Social Security" account online? Through this account, you should be able to start or change the direct deposit settings. The Social Security Administration (SSA) takes their beneficiaries' benefits very seriously, though, so you will need to become Dad's representative payee in order to legally manage them.

I'm not sure how long this process takes, but these are the general instructions listed on the SSA website:
"Contact the Social Security office nearest you to apply to be a payee. You must complete form SSA-11 (Request to be selected as payee) and show us documents to prove your identity. You will need to provide your social security number. Usually, you must complete the payee application with us face-to-face."

You can find additional information on the different authorizations you may need to handle your dad's affairs in this article:

Make Sure You Are an Authorized Representative for Your Loved One
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/make-sure-you-are-an-authorized-representative-for-your-loved-one-202376.htm

This is the SSA's page on representative payees:
https://www.ssa.gov/payee/index.htm

And this is the portal to "My Social Security":
https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/

I hope this helps. Hang in there!

-AgingCareEditor

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score 3 · Answer 7

You could go to SocialSecurity dot gov and make a profile for your dad. There is a "change your direct deposit" button there. If you are POA I don't see that that is wrong, in any way.

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