Financial Responsibilities for Parents of Children with Complex Health Needs and Disabilities

Navigating Representative Payee, Trustee, and Authorized Legal Representative Roles

In addition to being a parent, those of us whose children have complex health needs and/or disabilities may need to wear several other hats. In this article, I’m going to focus on three of the most common financial responsibilities - Representative Payee for Social Security, Trustee for Special Needs Trusts, and Authorized Legal Representative for ABLE accounts. I will not be talking about Guardianship of the Property because most of our children won’t own any property.

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Representative Payee

A Representative Payee (“Rep Payee”) is appointed by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to manage Social Security (Social Security Disability Insurance or Social Security Retirement) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits on behalf of individuals who are unable to manage their finances.

The Representative Payee's primary responsibility is to ensure that the beneficiary's basic needs are met, including housing, food, clothing, and medical care. They are expected to use this money in the best interest of the beneficiary. The Representative Payee is responsible for maintaining accurate records and may need to submit periodic reports to the SSA.

Here are (3) things I think every Rep Payee should know.