You call Social Security on your father's behalf. The person on the line asks to speak with your father directly. You explain that he has difficulty on the phone. They ask again. Nothing happens.
This scenario is more common than most people expect. If you want to help a parent navigate Medicare — and do more than just sit next to them while they make calls — you need to understand what you are and are not authorized to do.
There is a meaningful amount you can do to help a parent without any formal paperwork. You can:
In other words: you can do the research, the preparation, and the explaining. The actions — the calls, the enrollments, the authorizations — typically require either your parent's real-time participation or formal authorization.
When you call Social Security or Medicare on behalf of a parent, the first call in a new matter typically requires your parent to be on the line — at least briefly — to confirm their identity and authorize the conversation. Social Security agents will ask to speak with the beneficiary before discussing account details with anyone else.
Plan accordingly: schedule calls at a time when your parent is available and alert. Have their Social Security number, date of birth, and current address ready. Once the agent has spoken with your parent and the parent has confirmed you are permitted to be on the call, you can often take over the conversation.
If you need to act on your parent's behalf independently — calling without them present, accessing their Medicare account, speaking with an insurance company on their behalf — you will need formal authorization. The key document for Social Security and Medicare matters is the Appointment of Representative form (SSA-1696), available at ssa.gov/forms/ssa-1696.pdf.
This form gives you the right to represent your parent in dealings with Social Security and, by extension, Medicare enrollment matters. You and your parent both sign it, and it stays on file with Social Security.
For insurance company matters (dealing with a Medicare Advantage or Medigap plan), the insurance company typically has its own authorization form. Call the plan and ask what they require before you need to use it — getting the form in advance saves a lot of time in urgent situations.
If your parent is approaching 65 or is already there, these three things are worth doing before any Medicare crisis arises:
The most common mistake caregivers make is waiting until there is a crisis to try to figure out authorization. By then, your parent may be in a hospital and unable to sign documents — and you are stuck waiting for a healthcare proxy or power of attorney to be processed. Get the paperwork done while things are calm.
A Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA) for financial matters may give you broader authority than the SSA-1696, depending on how it is written — but it does not automatically grant you Social Security or Medicare access. Social Security has its own authorization process. Similarly, a healthcare proxy or medical power of attorney authorizes you to make healthcare decisions in a medical crisis, but does not automatically give you access to Medicare or insurance accounts. Both the SSA-1696 (for Medicare/Social Security matters) and the medical DPOA (for healthcare decisions) are worth having in place.
Reminder: Ready at 65 is not affiliated with Medicare, CMS, the SSA, or any government agency. This article is general educational information, not financial, legal, medical, or insurance advice. Rules, costs, and deadlines change — verify current details at Medicare.gov or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE before making any decision. Full disclaimer →