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Does child have to live with the Social Security Payee?

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VSPeck1

Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Indiana
My grandson lives with me and has for the past year. He has lived with me on and off for the past 6 years but continually since last January. His dad is the payee for his social security benefits. Because the dad is low income, the boy is on medicaid and as a result, his health care options are sometimes limited. There have also been occasions when the father has failed to pay the premium for the health insurance and as a result, he boy was without coverage for a period of time. He is an active teenager and needs good health coverage. I am a federal retiree and have federal health insurance. The boy's older brothers also lived with me but the dad did not provide the health insurance and as a result, I was able to claim them as dependents and I was able to get them on my insurance. I provide almost 100% of the support of the child, make sure he gets to school, etc. According to the federal rules, if I certify that I am living in a parent-child relationship with this grandson, I can put him on my health insurance. Dad said he would really like to have me put the boy on my insurance and would be willing to pay part of the premium (which is not necessary as I already pay for the family plan) but is concerned that by doing so, he will jeopardize the payment of the Social Security that comes to him as the payee for the boy. He depends on this income to pay some of his bills and while in a year the money will go directly to the boy anyway, he does provide some support for the boy periodically and the boy occasionally spends the night with him. The Dad said he has to sign a paper every year certifying that the boy lives with him and he is using the $$ for the boy's support, which technically I suppose he is, though I provide the "parenting". . Does anyone know if I claim the boy as a dependent and put him on my health insurance, will this jeopardize the Dad as the payee and get him in trouble? Is there any workaround? I do not want the social security payment to come to me nor the boy at this time, I simply want to be able to provide good health coverage for him. I pay family rates anyway and his older brother, who also lives with me, is on my plan.
 


Onderzoek

Member

My grandson lives with me and has for the past year. He has lived with me on and off for the past 6 years but continually since last January.


So he doesn't live with his father.

I provide almost 100% of the support of the child, make sure he gets to school, etc.. He depends on this income to pay some of his bills and while in a year the money will go directly to the boy anyway, he does provide some support for the boy periodically and the boy occasionally spends the night with him. The Dad said he has to sign a paper every year certifying that the boy lives with him and he is using the $$ for the boy's support, which technically I suppose he is, though I provide the "parenting".


No, the father is lying, according to you. Once in a while he buys him something. Once in awhile he visits him. He is not supporting his child, he is using the funds that legally belong to the child and that legally are required to be used on the child for himself. And you are ok with that. To me, you are colluding in the fraud.

Does anyone know if I claim the boy as a dependent and put him on my health insurance, will this jeopardize the Dad as the payee and get him in trouble?


It should get Dad in trouble. Dad should not be spending the child's money on himself. He owes it to the child

Is there any workaround

The Social Security should come to you or the father should be giving it to you to support his child. If you don't need the funds, you could save the SS benefits for the child and then you could give the father your own money to help him. Then the father is not lying to SSA and you are not colluding with his fraud and he has the same amount of money for his bills. You could call it a gift or a bribe or whatever you want. That way no one is lying.

I am surprised that you think it would be ok for the father to say one thing to one government agency and that you say something else to another government agency.
 

OHRoadwarrior

Senior Member
You should report dad to SS so they can do an audit of his records and request yourself to be made Payee. He will be responsible for repayment of any funds he is found to have misappropriated at minimum.

I turned in a form they lost one year and they sent me an audit appointment. I called them and advised I would drop off all the receipts as well as the postal receipt showing my mailing and they could perform their own audit, I was not going to lose $500 in wages to make their appointment. They decided an appointment was not needed.
 
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VSPeck1

Member

My grandson lives with me and has for the past year. He has lived with me on and off for the past 6 years but continually since last January.


So he doesn't live with his father.

I provide almost 100% of the support of the child, make sure he gets to school, etc.. He depends on this income to pay some of his bills and while in a year the money will go directly to the boy anyway, he does provide some support for the boy periodically and the boy occasionally spends the night with him. The Dad said he has to sign a paper every year certifying that the boy lives with him and he is using the $$ for the boy's support, which technically I suppose he is, though I provide the "parenting".


No, the father is lying, according to you. Once in a while he buys him something. Once in awhile he visits him. He is not supporting his child, he is using the funds that legally belong to the child and that legally are required to be used on the child for himself. And you are ok with that. To me, you are colluding in the fraud.

Does anyone know if I claim the boy as a dependent and put him on my health insurance, will this jeopardize the Dad as the payee and get him in trouble?


It should get Dad in trouble. Dad should not be spending the child's money on himself. He owes it to the child

Is there any workaround

The Social Security should come to you or the father should be giving it to you to support his child. If you don't need the funds, you could save the SS benefits for the child and then you could give the father your own money to help him. Then the father is not lying to SSA and you are not colluding with his fraud and he has the same amount of money for his bills. You could call it a gift or a bribe or whatever you want. That way no one is lying.

I am surprised that you think it would be ok for the father to say one thing to one government agency and that you say something else to another government agency.
No, I do not think it is ok for the father to say one thing to a government agency and me to say another thing to another agency, which is why I have posted. I am not ok with the current situation and do not want to perpetrate the fraud. I think I understand what I am going to have to do. Thank you for your comments.
 

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