How can I be declared financially competent by Social Security again?
You do have the right to receive your own Social Security check unless the Social Security Administration (SSA) believes you are not capable of managing or directing the management of your money. Most importantly, one thing you need to think seriously about before you present your evidence to get rid of your payee, make sure it wont affect your eligibility. If the SSA believes your condition has improved to the point that you no longer need a payee, your eligibility for disability payments may be reevaluated. The alternative is to consider finding a different payee rather than opening that door. The SSA decided you need a representative payee because it believes you are unable to successfully manage your own funds. The decision is usually based on evidence presented in your case, such as your condition caused you difficulties in the past where you made unwise decisions with your finances or other self-management requirements, repeated hospitalizations, not following treatment plans, difficulties paying rent or utilities on time, age considerations, history of mismanaging funds or your were not able to apply the funds so they benefit you the best in the past. You have the right to receive your own Social Security check unless SSA believes you are not capable of managing or directing the management of your money. That does not mean that you are not able to make the changes required to become fiscally responsible though. You can enroll in money management courses and attend and complete all required coursework in a timely fashion. Start with a small amount of money and learn to manage that amount wisely, your payee may be able to help you learn this skill and work with you. Be responsible about why you were assigned a representative payee in the first place and be willing to change those behaviors if you can, accept that you may not be able to change some things depending on your condition. Work with your counselor on establishing good habits, fiscally and behaviorally. Take an active part in allocating your funds, dont starts fights with your payee, you should know how much you receive and how much to have to pay to live, working on that amount, develop written plans on how you would handle your funds, including during times of distress or when your condition is not stable. You may be able to ask your payee to give you a small sum over which you have control, your payee will know how much they could allow you to have each month to establish your skills and then they can vouch for your skills when you request the change. SSA does not want you in harms way because of your condition, they assigned a representative payee that would act in your best interests so you would have food to eat and a safe place to live. In order to become your own payee, you need to show SSA that you are now mentally and physically able to handle your own money. This will take work, effort, and time on your part before you request to change where your benefits go. Develop a one year plan that you follow in order to be able to provide the SSA; Doctors Lettersyouve already said two doctors will not verify that you are well enough to do this, you need to seek direction in order to overcome that problem because it is not suddenly going to disappear, after youve overcome the obstacle or learned to manage the issue you can again request that the doctor write you a letter of confirmation which should not be a problem if you have made the required progress. Competency Evaluationyou can petition the court to determine your abilityremember this comes with fees. If the court claims you are able to manage your own finances, get a certified copy of a court order that certifies you are able to manage your own finances. Other Evidencefamily members, teachers, clergy, etc. can vouch for your ability to take care of yourself; You may be able to use medical records that support your claim; are you following your treatment plan, taking an active part in your care, working with your doctors, attending counseling, etc. If you were underage when benefits were decided to go to a representative payee, did you become emancipated? Ask your family, friends, pastor, etc., to write statements that support you are now able to manage your money. Have them include specific examples of your success, like managing funds from little jobs you do, not spending money unnecessarily or on things you shouldnt. If your representative payee cannot or will not offer to help in your quest you will need to find other ways to demonstrate fiscal responsibility, such as doing odd jobs and budgeting the finances. You can also find a job that pays you a little bit, $20 a week gives you a good start, babysitting, cutting lawns, delivering newspapers, etc. then set up a bank account and pay a bill when you earn enough, this will help show you can manage funds. Bank statements from that account showing your account in good standing for an appropriate time frame, (a year is a good beginning) keep an itemized list of what you spent all the funds on, payments you made for something you contracted (lay-away) for, establish a budget and demonstrate your skill in mastering the finances, write a 5-year plan, or school and class records showing passing grades or other evidence of you managing your own responsibilities. Dont expect that you can do this overnight or even a month or two,. That is not enough time to demonstrate the level of responsibility you need to have to establish responsibility and one that shows continued effort and success. A year is a reasonable amount of time for you to establish a history that will demonstrate fiscal responsibility. You will have to negotiate this with your payee and cannot demand that they work with you. Your representative payee knows your finances, so you will need to develop and maintain a working relationship with them if you want to establish your own financial responsibility. If they will not give you a sum over which you have control, you will need to find another way to show financial responsibility, use the examples I included above for tips. Once you have established a good history without any difficulties, then you are ready to apply to have your payee changed to yourself. If the SSA believes your condition has improved to the point that you no longer need a payee, they can reevaluate your eligibility for disability payments. If the SSA does not agree with you have the right to appeal either the decision that you need a representative payee, or the person or organization SSA has chosen as your representative payee. You have 60 days to appeal their decision by contacting SSA, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) for more information. At no time will losing control, yelling, or misbehaving in some way benefit you. You may end up just reaffirming their beliefs and they wont re-examine your case, so consider that a heads up. Financial responsibility is a big deal, it encompasses whatever you do, all that you say, how you behave, and how you manage your affairs. Trust me, how you present yourself on social media will also play a big part because it is a quick and easy way to get a complete picture about youwhat you say can hurt you and sticks with you forever. If you are out of control in one aspect of your life you should only expect that it will affect other areas. If that is something you need to work on, take advantage of anything available that will help you learn to make those changes and get you on the road to self-determination. Good Luck!