Many people ask us about the difference between a Representative Payee and a Conservator. The Representative Payee is Social Security’s way of appointing a person just to receive the Social Security benefits.
a. Social Security or SSA payments.
b. SSI payments.
c. Survivor Benefits.
When a recipient is disabled or incompetent, if Social Security finds that they need help to receive those funds, it can appoint a Representative Payee.
There are many differences. A Representative Payee has several simple functions, which are to receive the Social Security benefits of the disabled person, spend it for the benefit of the Social Security beneficiary, and to account for it to Social Security.
On the other hand, the Conservator’s function is much broader than the Representative Payee. A Conservator of the estate can manage all of the Conservatee’s assets. A Conservator of the Person can manage the person’s medical needs, personal needs and housing needs. A Representative Payee can ONLY manage one account which contains the Social Security benefits.
Call us for an appointment to discuss your Representative Payee or Conservator issues. Select the below link to set a free conservator consultation. Appointments. Call 818.340.4479 or email us: Info@SirkinLaw.com