How do I get Medicare to talk with me about my parent?
Medicare protects your parent's privacy, so it will only share personal health information with you if your parent says it's OK. There are two ways:
- On the phone. Your parent can give verbal permission while you are both on the call with 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048).
- In writing. Your parent can sign the Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information form (CMS-10106), available in English and Spanish from Medicare's contact page. Once Medicare processes it, you can call on your parent's behalf without them on the line.
This form only lets Medicare share information with you. It does not make you your parent's representative for appeals, and it does not let you make health care or money decisions.
If your parent has a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, call the Member Services number on the plan card and ask what the plan needs before it will talk with you.
How can I handle an appeal or claim for my parent?
To file an appeal, a claim or a complaint for your parent, your parent should name you on Medicare's Appointment of Representative form, CMS-1696. As the appointed representative, you can make requests and receive notices on your parent's behalf, and Medicare may share the medical information the appeal needs. Keep a copy, and send one with each appeal. If a hospital discharge is the problem, you can call the BFCC-QIO for Texas, Acentra Health, at 1-888-315-0636 (TTY 711). See Medicare appeals in Texas.
Who can manage my parent's Social Security money?
If your parent can no longer manage their Social Security or SSI benefits, Social Security can appoint a representative payee, a person or organization that receives the benefits and uses them for your parent's needs.
- A power of attorney isn't enough. Social Security says a power of attorney or a joint bank account does not give you authority to manage someone else's benefits.
- How to apply. Contact your local Social Security office. You fill out Form SSA-11 (Request to be selected as payee) and show proof of your identity, usually in a face-to-face interview.
- Your duties. A payee must use the money for your parent's current needs, save what isn't needed, keep records and report to Social Security on how the money was used when asked. You can't use it for your own expenses.
- Plan ahead. With Advance Designation, your parent can name up to three people Social Security should consider as payee if one is ever needed.
Social Security: 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
What is a Texas Medical Power of Attorney?
A Medical Power of Attorney (MPOA) is the Texas advance directive that names an agent to make health care decisions for your parent. Using the form Texas HHS publishes under the Health and Safety Code:
- What it covers. The agent can make any and all health care decisions, except limits your parent writes in, following your parent's wishes and beliefs.
- When it starts. It takes effect if your parent becomes unable to make their own health care decisions and their doctor certifies that in writing.
- How to sign it. Your parent signs it either before a notary or in front of two competent adult witnesses. The named agent, anyone related to your parent by blood or marriage, anyone who would inherit, your parent's doctor and the doctor's employees, and certain health care facility staff can't be witnesses. Texas now also allows digital or electronic signatures if certain requirements are met.
Texas HHS also publishes a Directive to Physicians and Family or Surrogates (living will), an Out-of-Hospital Do-Not-Resuscitate order, and the Statutory Durable Power of Attorney, which covers property and money decisions but not medical ones. All are on the Texas HHS advance directives page, with Spanish versions. A Medical Power of Attorney does not replace the Medicare and Social Security forms above; each agency has its own rules. For complex situations, such as when a court may need to appoint a guardian, talk with an attorney.
Where can a Texas caregiver find help and a break?
Area Agencies on Aging
Texas's Area Agencies on Aging help people 60 and older and their family members and caregivers. For caregivers, HHSC lists information about services, help applying for them, support groups, training, respite care and some supplemental services. Use HHSC's find services tool to see which agency serves your area.
Respite care
Respite gives the main caregiver a short break, with care at home or somewhere else. HHSC has a respite provider search. If your parent gets Medicaid home and community-based services, such as through STAR+PLUS, ask the service coordinator or case manager about respite.
Medicaid help at home
If your parent has limited income and needs help with daily activities, Texas Medicaid may cover personal attendant services and other long-term services and supports. See Texas Medicaid and Medicare and apply at YourTexasBenefits.com or by calling 2-1-1.
What can I do day to day?
- Set up a Medicare.gov account with your parent, so you can both see Original Medicare claims as soon as they're processed.
- Review statements every month for services your parent didn't get, and watch for scam calls about genetic tests, braces or new Medicare cards. See Medicare fraud in Texas.
- Check for help with costs. If your parent lives on a fixed income, see whether they qualify for a Medicare Savings Program or Extra Help. See Medicare Savings Programs in Texas and our savings programs calculator.
- Mark the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 to December 7) on the calendar, and check whether your parent's doctors and drugs are still covered for next year. If your parent's plan is ending, see Texas plans ending in 2027.
- Keep a folder with your parent's Medicare and plan cards, drug list, doctors, the signed permission forms and the Medical Power of Attorney.
Help reviewing your parent's plan
A licensed insurance agent with Benefits Life can sit in on a call with you and your parent and explain Medicare Advantage, Medigap and Part D plans from the companies they work with, at no cost to you. Your parent decides; you can help ask the questions. Call (512) 265-6565, TTY 711, or see plans in your parent's ZIP code.
Sources
- Medicare.gov — Contact Medicare (Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information, CMS-10106)
- CMS — Form CMS-1696, Appointment of Representative
- Social Security — Frequently asked questions for representative payees
- Social Security — Need help managing money
- Texas HHS — Advance directives
- Texas HHS — Medical Power of Attorney form (05-2024), Health and Safety Code §166.164
- Texas HHS — Caregiver support and resources
- Texas HHS — STAR+PLUS
- Acentra Health — Texas BFCC-QIO beneficiary helpline
Frequently asked questions
How do I get permission to talk to Medicare for my mother or father?
Your parent can give verbal permission while you are both on the phone with 1-800-MEDICARE, or can sign Medicare's Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information form (CMS-10106), which comes in English and Spanish. The form lets Medicare share your parent's information with you; it does not let you make decisions for them.
Can I file a Medicare appeal for my parent?
Yes, if your parent names you as their representative on Medicare's Appointment of Representative form, CMS-1696. A representative can request appeals and receive notices on your parent's behalf.
Does a power of attorney let me manage my parent's Social Security?
No. Social Security says a power of attorney or a joint bank account does not give you authority to manage someone's Social Security benefits. Social Security must appoint you as representative payee, usually after an in-person application with Form SSA-11.
What is a Texas Medical Power of Attorney?
It is the Texas form that names an agent to make health care decisions for your parent if a doctor certifies in writing that your parent can no longer make them. Your parent must sign it before a notary or in front of two competent adult witnesses, and some people, such as relatives and the named agent, can't be witnesses. The form is on the Texas HHS website in English and Spanish.
Where can a Texas caregiver get a break?
Texas's Area Agencies on Aging serve people 60 and older and their family caregivers, with information, help applying for services, support groups, training and respite care. HHSC has a finder for your local agency and a search for respite providers. If your parent gets STAR+PLUS, ask the service coordinator about respite through Medicaid.
Medicare in your Texas county
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