Dealing with the finances of my mother

[Kevin S.]

Background - my dad passed away. He had no saving or life insurance. My mom has no income. She has no savings. I basically am taking care of my mother. She is getting social security disability. She is turning 62 this Friday and we will be looking at getting her subsidized housing.

Her current living situation is living in a trailer that she owns. I pay the lot payment for her and the majority of her bills as her ssi-d benefit is only 800 bucks a month.

What I want to know is if she gets into subsidized housing and sells her trailer. Is she able to give me the funds without getting her benefits either cancelled or lowered?

She does not have a living will (i don't have one either)

I know we both need to get a will. I'm 34 yrs old and should have one by now.

Also when she turns 62 can she collect ssi and not just ssi-d ? It may not make much of a difference she has not worked the majority of her life. Stay at home mother (her choice)

Thought i would ask here before i seek profession (and most likely costly) help.

Thanks all!

[NoStacheOhio]

How old was your father? She may be eligible for his Social Security benefits.

Edit: I'd recommend an estate attorney to help sort and navigate everything

[Kevin S.]

How old was your father? She may be eligible for his Social Security benefits.

Edit: I'd recommend an estate attorney to help sort and navigate everything

He was 60 yrs old. She tried that but because he was on ssi-d as well she is not eligible. She gets a spouse death benefit of something crazy like 75 bucks a month.

Thank you.

[rubybeth]

If she doesn't have enough work credits (quarters worked), then she won't qualify for SSI. But if she's already getting SSDI, she must have qualified/had some work history to claim disability from that past relevant work. You should ask the SSA about this, though. You can start doing some of your own research/math: https://www.ssa.gov/planners/credits.html

If the sale of the trailer involves having savings, that might affect her SSDI. Any way she could transfer the trailer to be in your name now, and then you sell it once she gets into subsidized housing, thereby any income from the sale is yours and not hers?

I would also consult a lawyer about this; I know there are ways to set up trusts for disabled family members that keeps their assets from affecting their insurance and other eligibility.

[Kevin S.]

If she doesn't have enough work credits (quarters worked), then she won't qualify for SSI. But if she's already getting SSDI, she must have qualified/had some work history to claim disability from that past relevant work. You should ask the SSA about this, though. You can start doing some of your own research/math: https://www.ssa.gov/planners/credits.html

If the sale of the trailer involves having savings, that might affect her SSDI. Any way she could transfer the trailer to be in your name now, and then you sell it once she gets into subsidized housing, thereby any income from the sale is yours and not hers?

I would also consult a lawyer about this; I know there are ways to set up trusts for disabled family members that keeps their assets from affecting their insurance and other eligibility.

Great ! Thank you for the info!

[formerlydivorcedmom]

She should definitely go talk to the local Social Security office and see what she may qualify for and when.

[MsPeacock]

You may want to reach out to something like the local counseling on aging, catholic charities, etc. to see if there is a case manager or social worker who can assist your mom w/ determining what benefits she may qualify for and how to apply for them.

[Cassie]

Low income senior housing typically takes about a third of your income for rent. She probably will qualify for food stamps, heat assistance if not included with her rent. SSDI is for when you get hurt if you have 40 quarters of work. If she is really getting this they don't care about her assets. She earned this in her working years.  If she has been on it for 2 years she will also qualify for Medicare whether she is old enough or not.  I used to work with clients facing these issues all the time.  She probably can also get a disabled bus pass which will be cheaper.