How to Become an Authorized Representative for an Elderly Parent

There's no single form that makes you an authorized representative for an elderly parent. Medicare, Social Security, the bank and the IRS each keep their own list of who may speak for your parent, and each one wants its own paperwork, usually signed by your parent. The core set: Medicare's release form CMS-10106, Social Security's SSA-3288 (or SSA-1696 for a claim), the bank's power of attorney or signer form, and IRS Form 8821.

A power of attorney helps with some of them and does nothing at all for others. The easiest time to do this is while your parent can still sign, ideally on one afternoon, at one table, with a pen and their Medicare card.

One permission per place

Here's the whole map in one table, so you can skip a few rounds of hold music. The government forms and rules below come from each agency's own forms and websites, checked in October 2026. Bank and plan rules vary, so treat those rows as a starting point.

Doctors and hospitals are their own category, covered at the end.

Medicare: two forms with confusingly similar names

1-800-MEDICARE: the release form (CMS-10106)

The first time you call 1-800-MEDICARE about Mom's claim, they'll politely decline to discuss it. That's the law working as intended. Medicare's Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information form (CMS-10106, current edition dated 03/2026) says plainly that your parent must give 1-800-MEDICARE permission in writing before it can share anything with you.

Your parent fills in their Medicare Number, names you (up to two people on the front, more on the back), and chooses "any information" or a limited list: eligibility, claims, health and drug plan enrollment, premium payments. They pick "indefinitely" or a date range and sign. New York residents get an extra question about sharing information on drug and alcohol treatment, mental health and HIV.

How they send it matters more than you'd think. Medicare's own fact sheet for family caregivers, Talking With a Friend's or Family Member's Doctor, says that if the form is submitted online through your parent's Medicare.gov account, you can call and talk on their behalf immediately. By mail, you'll generally wait a few weeks. Online, it lives under the account settings, in "My representatives," then "Add Representative."

Two more things from that fact sheet. Until the form is processed, Medicare will talk to you if your parent gives verbal permission while you're both on the phone. And if your parent can't manage the form, 1-800-MEDICARE can fill it in with you over the phone and mail it to your parent to sign.

If your parent can no longer sign, the form has a personal representative section: you check the box and attach the paperwork that shows you can act for them, such as a power of attorney. Our guide to Medicare documents to keep for a parent covers the cards and letters that should sit next to the signed copy.

Appeals: the appointment form (CMS-1696)

CMS-10106 lets Medicare talk to you. It doesn't let you act. If a claim is denied and you want to appeal for your parent, the form is CMS-1696, the Appointment of Representative. Both of you sign it, and it makes you the main contact with authority to make requests, present evidence, get information and receive all communication about that matter.

According to the form's instructions, the appointment is valid for one year from the date both of you sign, and you can reuse it for other appeals during that year. For the appeal it was filed with, it lasts until that appeal is over, unless your parent revokes it. CMS's Part D forms page says the same form (or a written equivalent) goes in with a drug plan grievance, coverage determination or appeal. One useful exception from that page: your parent's prescriber can request a drug coverage decision without being appointed.

Medicare Advantage, Part D and Medigap plans

CMS-10106 is addressed to 1-800-MEDICARE, and that's who it reaches. A Medicare Advantage plan, a stand-alone Part D plan or a Medigap insurer is a private company with its own member services and its own privacy process. Call the number on the back of your parent's plan card, with your parent beside you, and ask for "the form that lets my daughter speak with you about my account." Then ask whether it's good indefinitely or needs renewing, because plans differ.

Social Security: three different jobs

This is where families often get tangled, because Social Security separates three things that feel like one: getting information, handling a claim, and managing the money.

Getting information released (SSA-3288)

Form SSA-3288, Consent for Release of Information lets your parent tell Social Security to release specific records to you, like their current monthly benefit amount, benefit amounts for a date range, Medicare entitlement dates, or particular award and denial notices.

The form has rules that trip people up:

• SSA won't honor blanket requests for "any and all records" or "the entire file." Your parent has to check specific boxes and fill in date ranges.
• Unless your parent writes in a time frame, it's good for one use only.
• It has to reach SSA within one year of the signature, or 90 days if it asks for medical records.
• It goes to your parent's local Social Security office, found by ZIP code.
• Only your parent can sign it for themselves. Under SSA's own operating manual, GN 03305.005, the exception for an adult is a court-appointed legal guardian of an adult found legally incompetent, with proof of the appointment.

And the one that surprises people holding a power of attorney: SSA's manual section GN 03305.003 says a power of attorney document is "generally not acceptable" as consent to release information, because it doesn't usually contain all the consent requirements. Bring the SSA-3288 instead.

If your parent wants SSA to send the same information repeatedly, say every year, the manual says they have to send a copy of the original consent with each new request. If what you mostly need is a benefit letter, it may be simpler for your parent to open a my Social Security account, which the SSA-3288 itself points to for things like benefit verification letters.

Helping with a claim or appeal (SSA-1696)

Form SSA-1696 appoints someone, an attorney or a qualified non-attorney such as a family member, to act for your parent on a claim or appeal. A few things from the form itself:

• You don't need it just to help. The form's instructions say your parent doesn't need to appoint someone who drives them to the office, reads documents to them, or interprets. It's for someone acting or appearing for them.
• Every representative, family members included, must register with SSA and have a Representative ID (Rep ID) to put on the form. SSA explains how at ssa.gov/ar or by phone at 1-800-772-1213.
• Your parent checks which claims or issues it covers, and both of you sign.

Some online guides suggest filing an SSA-1696 for a parent who's simply getting benefits. Unless there's an application or a dispute in progress, it's usually the wrong tool.

Managing the money (representative payee)

Social Security doesn't accept a power of attorney for handling benefit payments. Its representative payee FAQ puts it in one line: being an authorized representative, having power of attorney, or sharing a joint bank account with the beneficiary is not the same as being a payee, and none of those give you legal authority to manage the benefits. If your parent can no longer manage their benefits, you apply and SSA decides. That's a bigger topic, and our guide for when a parent can't make decisions and has no power of attorney walks through it.

What your parent can do today is file an advance designation: up to three people, in order, that SSA will consider first if a payee is ever needed. SSA is clear that it isn't a power of attorney and doesn't appoint anyone; designees are still fully evaluated. It can be done in a my Social Security account, by phone at 1-800-772-1213, or at a local office, and SSA sends a yearly notice listing the designees.

The bank: pick the lightest key that does the job

Banks have the most options and the least uniformity. Before your parent signs anything, decide what you actually need: to see the account, to pay bills from it, or to run their finances.

Power of attorney, and the bank's own form

A durable financial power of attorney is the broadest key. The CFPB's answer to the common complaint that a bank insisted on its own POA form is that a POA that follows your state's laws should be accepted. Many state laws require banks to accept one, with exceptions such as suspected forgery, a known revocation, or a belief that the agent is exploiting your parent. Ask for a branch manager, a supervisor or the bank's attorney, and if that fails, a court order may be possible.

Some states set a clock. Virginia, for example, requires a bank to accept an acknowledged (typically notarized) power of attorney, or ask for an agent's certification, a translation or a legal opinion, within seven business days, and bars it from demanding a different form for authority the document already grants. The statute lists exceptions, such as a good-faith belief that the document isn't valid or a report of suspected abuse to adult protective services. Other states have different rules, and some have none like this.

The CFPB's best tip is the least dramatic one: share the POA with the bank in advance. Walk it in while your parent is well, ask the bank to review it, and ask how they'll record it on the account. Ask what they need to see (the original, a certified copy or a photocopy), and if you show the original, take it home with you. If the bank still prefers its own form, your parent can simply sign that one too while they're able.

Convenience signer vs. joint owner

When the goal is paying bills, many families reach for the joint account. The CFPB suggests asking about a different setup first. A convenience or agency account lets you deposit, withdraw and write checks for your parent, but it doesn't change who owns the money or give you the right to keep it when they die.

A joint account is different. The money is jointly owned, and the CFPB's guide Considering a financial caregiver? notes that the joint holder automatically gets the money at death. That can quietly undo the will and leave a sibling out. The CFPB also says bank employees often don't mention convenience accounts, or don't know they exist, so you may need a manager. Use the words "convenience" or "agency," and say you don't want right of survivorship.

Both setups let you withdraw money, which is the point and also the risk. If the topic of money is still a delicate one in your family, our guide on how to talk to aging parents about finances has scripts for raising it.

View-only access and a trusted contact

Sometimes you don't need to touch anything. Back in 2016, the CFPB recommended that banks offer view-only access for authorized third parties, account alerts, and a way for older customers to give advance consent for the bank to share account information with a trusted relative or friend if they seem to be at risk. Those were recommendations, so availability varies by bank. A trusted contact, common on brokerage accounts, gets a phone call if the firm is worried; per the CFPB guide, trusted contacts have no access to the money. Our guide to organizing an elderly parent's bills has a checklist of these lighter options.

The IRS, briefly

If your parent gets a letter from the IRS and you want to be able to call about it, the form is Form 8821, the Tax Information Authorization. It lets your parent name someone to inspect or receive their confidential tax information for the tax types and years listed. It doesn't let you represent them or sign anything.

Two details from the Form 8821 instructions worth knowing before filing:

• Future years count, but the IRS records them only up to 3 years past December 31 of the year it receives the form.
• A new 8821 automatically revokes earlier ones on file unless your parent checks the box to keep them and attaches copies. If a tax preparer already has an 8821, don't wipe it out by accident.

Actual representation, like handling an audit, is Form 2848, which is for people eligible to practice before the IRS. The 2848 instructions do include a family member category (spouse, parent, child, sibling and a few others), but most families only ever need the 8821.

Doctors are separate again

None of the forms above reach your parent's doctors. Each office, hospital and patient portal has its own permission, which is a HIPAA authorization or a proxy account. Our guide to HIPAA authorization for a parent covers what doctors can tell you without one and how to set up portal access.

The one-afternoon plan

If your parent can sign, this order gets the most done with the fewest phone calls:

1. Gather: Medicare card, any plan cards, Social Security number, bank names, and a copy of any power of attorney.
2. Medicare online: log in to their Medicare.gov account together and add you as a representative.
3. Plans: call each Advantage, Part D or Medigap plan with your parent on the line and ask for its authorization form.
4. Social Security: set up advance designation in their my Social Security account or by phone. Fill out an SSA-3288 only when you need a specific record.
5. Bank: visit with your parent. Ask about a convenience signer, view-only access and alerts, and have them review the POA now.
6. IRS: file an 8821 if your parent wants you able to call about taxes.
7. Doctors: sign each office's HIPAA form at the next appointment.

If your parent is starting to have trouble with memory, move this up the list. A signature that's easy today can be complicated in a year, which our guide to planning when a parent shows signs of memory loss explains in more detail.

Tracking what you've signed

That's a lot of forms in a lot of places, and some of them expire quietly. For each one, keep a copy and note four things: what it covers, the date it was signed, the date it was sent or submitted, and when it ends. Put a reminder on your calendar for the CMS-1696 anniversary and any SSA-3288 deadline. When the bank or a plan says "we don't have anything on file," a dated copy settles it quickly.

Frequently asked questions

Can I talk to Social Security on behalf of my parent?

Not about their record without permission. Your parent can sign an SSA-3288 to release specific records to you, or appoint you on an SSA-1696 if there's a claim or appeal. SSA's manual says a power of attorney generally isn't acceptable in place of the consent form, and a power of attorney doesn't make you their payee. If your parent is with you, the simplest route is for them to make the call and have you help.

Does a power of attorney let me talk to Medicare?

Not by itself. 1-800-MEDICARE needs the CMS-10106 authorization. If your parent can't sign it, you can sign in the form's personal representative section and attach paperwork that shows you can act for them, such as a power of attorney.

How long does it take for Medicare to recognize the authorization?

Per Medicare's caregiver fact sheet, if it's submitted online through your parent's Medicare.gov account, you can call right away. Mailed forms generally take a few weeks.

Should I just become a joint owner on my parent's bank account?

Think twice. A joint owner owns the money and usually gets it automatically at death, which can override the will. A convenience signer, view-only access or a power of attorney can cover the same day-to-day needs without changing ownership. An elder law attorney in your parent's state can tell you how joint accounts are treated there.

Putting the pieces in one place

You can work through all of this yourself with the table above, your parent's cards and a free afternoon. If you'd rather have the organizing done for you, Emergency Binder Now turns about 25 minutes of guided questions into a printable binder for your parent, with pages that note whether each legal document and authorization exists, where it's kept and who has a copy, plus a list of what's still missing. You can see a sample binder before you decide.

This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Agency forms change, and power of attorney and banking rules vary by state and by institution. For your parent's situation, check the current form with each agency and talk with an elder law attorney in their state.