More than ten million older adults rely exclusively on Social Security benefits as their primary source of income. As the population ages and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive impairments increases, more older adults will need to rely on others to manage their finances.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has authority granted by Congress to appoint third parties, known as representative payees, to receive and manage payments when a beneficiary is unable to do so. To protect seniors from financial exploitation or interruptions in benefits, it’s important for advocates and caregivers to understand key issues relating to the program.
Download and read the first in the series.
Justice in Aging, with the support of a Borchard Center Foundation on Law and Aging fellowship grant, will be producing a series of informational publications about the Representative Payee Program.
