How Caregivers Can Help Apply for Social Security

How Caregivers Can Help Apply for Social Security

If you’re the caregiver for a loved one, it’s possible your family needs financial assistance. Fortunately, the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers monthly disability benefits for people who are unable to work.

Here’s a little more information on how you can help someone you care about qualify for Social Security disability benefits:

1. Determine if Someone Medically Qualifies

The SSA will compare any applicant’s disability to its own medical guide of qualifying criteria, known colloquially as the Blue Book. There are hundreds of qualifying conditions listed in the Blue Book. You can help your loved one qualify by comparing his or her condition to the equivalent Blue Book listing. Qualification will vary depending on someone’s diagnosis. Here are some listings found in the Blue Book:

ALS—ALS will always qualify with just a diagnosis, so long as the doctor followed “standard procedure” (medical history, taking CT scans and MRIs, etc.) when diagnosing your loved one.

Cancer—there’s no blanket listing for cancer. Some aggressive forms of cancer will qualify with a diagnosis, like esophageal cancer. Other highly treatable forms of cancer, like prostate cancer, must be advanced to be approved. Any metastatic cancer will always qualify for disability.

Alzheimer’s Disease—usually only people with early onset Alzheimer’s disease will be eligible for Social Security disability, as the program is separate from Social Security retirement and you cannot qualify for both at the same time.

The entire Blue Book is available online, so you can review the medical listings with your loved one’s doctor to help determine where he or she may qualify.

2. Assistance With the Application

You can apply for Social Security disability benefits on behalf of someone else if he or she is unable to type for extended periods of time. You’ll usually need some kind of signature at the end of the Social Security application process, but if someone’s unable to grasp a pen with hands or the mouth then the SSA will of course make exceptions to this rule.

You will not need to physically gather records on your loved one’s behalf, but you will need to list every hospital where he or she has received treatment so the SSA can collect medical evidence to review the claim itself.

The easiest way to apply for disability is online on the SSA’s website. If you’d rather apply for benefits in person with help of a Social Security representative, you can do so at your local SSA office. Call the SSA toll free at 1-800-772-1213 to get this process started.

3. Becoming a Designated Payee

A caregiver can also manage all of the monthly benefits received from the SSA on behalf of someone with a disability. All payments from the SSA are sent electronically, so you’ll just need some kind of access to your loved one’s bank account.

You can spend Social Security benefits on any expense necessary to living a fulfilling life, including rent or utility bills, but just be sure to save receipts of the purchases in case the SSA performs any inquiry to ensure the benefits are spent responsibly.

This article was written by the Outreach Team at Disability Benefits Help and provided by www.acaringhandformom.com as a benefit to our readers. They provide information about disability benefits and the application process. To learn more, please visit their website at http://www.disability-benefits-help.org/or by emailing them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..