Caregivers

Helping a parent with Medicare in Florida

To help a parent with Medicare in Florida, start with the right permission. Your parent can let 1-800-MEDICARE talk with you by phone or with form CMS-10106; appeals need form CMS-1696, and Social Security money needs a representative payee. For medical decisions, Florida uses a designation of health care surrogate (Fla. Stat. 765.202), signed before two adult witnesses, with no notary required.

By the Benefits Life Editorial Team, licensed insurance agents · Reviewed November 14, 2026

How do I get Medicare to talk with me about my parent?

By law, 1-800-MEDICARE needs your parent's permission before it shares their personal health information with you. There are two ways:

On the phone. Your parent gives verbal permission while you're both on the call with 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048).
In writing. Your parent signs the Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information (CMS-10106), also in Spanish (CMS-10106-S). Submitting it in your parent's Medicare.gov account is fastest. By mail, to 1-800-MEDICARE Written Authorization Dept., PO Box 1270, Lawrence, KS 66044, it generally takes a few weeks.

The form lets Medicare share information. It doesn't make you your parent's representative for appeals or let you make decisions. A Medicare Advantage or Part D plan has its own rules: call Member Services on the plan card and ask what it needs. Florida State Group Insurance retirees should ask their plan the same question.

How can I handle an appeal for my parent?

To file an appeal, claim or grievance for your parent, your parent names you on Medicare's Appointment of Representative form, CMS-1696. You then become the main contact and can make requests for your parent. Send a copy with each appeal.

If a Florida hospital says your parent is ready to go home and you disagree, or skilled nursing or home health care is ending too soon, call Florida's Medicare quality improvement organization, Acentra Health, at 1-888-317-0751 (TTY 711) right away. See Medicare appeals in Florida.

Who can manage my parent's Social Security money?

If your parent can no longer manage Social Security or SSI benefits, Social Security can appoint a representative payee to receive the benefits and use them for your parent's needs.

A power of attorney isn't enough. Social Security says a power of attorney or a joint bank account doesn't give you authority to manage someone else's benefits.
How to apply. You complete Form SSA-11 and show proof of identity, usually face to face. Find an office with the Social Security office locator.
Plan ahead. With Advance Designation, your parent can name up to three people Social Security should consider as payee if one is ever needed.

Social Security: 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

Florida health care and money documents

	Designation of health care surrogate	Durable power of attorney
Florida law	Fla. Stat. 765.202; suggested form in 765.203	Fla. Stat. chapter 709, part II
What it does	Names someone to make health care decisions, receive health information, or both; the suggested form also lets the surrogate apply for public benefits to pay for care	Names an agent for money and property; covers health care decisions only if it says so specifically
How it's signed	Before two adult witnesses; the surrogate can't witness; one witness can't be a spouse or blood relative; no notary	Before two witnesses and acknowledged before a notary
When it takes effect	When a doctor finds your parent can't decide, unless your parent initials the boxes making it effective right away	When signed

A living will (Fla. Stat. 765.302) gives instructions about life-prolonging procedures and also needs two witnesses, one not a spouse or blood relative. In a Florida power of attorney, general wording such as "all acts I could do" doesn't grant authority; each power must be stated (709.2201). If your parent has no surrogate, Florida law sets an order of proxies, starting with a guardian, then a spouse, then a majority of adult children (765.401). For anything complex, talk with a Florida attorney.

Helping with Florida Medicaid

Applications and renewals. DCF's Appointment of a Designated Representative (CF-ES 2505) lets you act on your parent's ACCESS Florida case. See how to renew Medicaid on ACCESS Florida.
Medicare costs. Check Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help.
Long-term care. Medicaid's in-home care has a waiting list based on a priority score. The state's CARES assessors confirm the level of care, and DCF decides financial eligibility. See Florida Medicaid long-term care and the AHCA Long-Term Care program page. To pick or change a plan, call SMMC Choice Counseling at 1-877-711-3662.

If your parent lives in a nursing home or assisted living

Florida's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, part of the Department of Elder Affairs, helps residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and adult family-care homes with complaints about care and rights: 1-888-831-0404, or see the ombudsman program site. If you suspect an older adult is being abused, neglected or exploited, call the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873 (1-800-96-ABUSE).

What can I do day to day?

Review statements every month. Report services your parent didn't get to 1-800-MEDICARE; for fraud help, the national Senior Medicare Patrol line is 1-877-808-2468. See Medicare fraud in Florida.
Check plans every fall. From October 15 to December 7, check doctors and drugs for next year. If your parent's plan is ending, see Florida plans ending in 2027.
Register for hurricane season. If your parent would need help evacuating, sign up for the Florida Special Needs Registry. Registering doesn't guarantee a special needs shelter, and a caregiver may stay with the person in one. See hurricanes and Medicare.
Mind the two-home rule. If your parent lives part of the year up north, a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan is tied to one permanent home. See snowbirds and Medicare.
Keep a caregiver folder. Include Medicare, plan and Medicaid cards, drug list, doctors, signed permission forms and advance directives.

Help reviewing your parent's plan

A licensed insurance agent who works with Benefits Life can join a call with you and your parent and explain Medicare Advantage, Medigap and Part D plans from the companies they work with, at no cost to you. Your parent decides; you can help ask the questions. You can request a call from a licensed insurance agent, or see plans for your parent's ZIP code.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Can I give someone permission to talk to Medicare for me?

Yes. Give verbal permission while you and that person are both on the phone with 1-800-MEDICARE, or sign Medicare's Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information (CMS-10106), in English or Spanish. Submitting it online in your Medicare.gov account is fastest; by mail it generally takes a few weeks. It lets Medicare share information; it doesn't let the person make decisions.

Who can witness a Florida health care surrogate designation?

Two adults. The person named as surrogate can't be a witness, and at least one witness must be neither your parent's spouse nor a blood relative (Fla. Stat. 765.202). Florida doesn't require a notary for this document.

Does a Florida power of attorney let me make health care decisions?

Only if the durable power of attorney specifically grants that authority (Fla. Stat. 709.2201). A Florida power of attorney must be signed before two witnesses and a notary (709.2105). Many people sign a separate health care surrogate designation.

Does a power of attorney let me manage my parent's Social Security?

No. Social Security says a power of attorney or a joint bank account doesn't give you authority to manage someone's benefits. Social Security must appoint you as representative payee, usually after you complete Form SSA-11 in person.

Can I handle my parent's Florida Medicaid case?

Yes, as a designated representative. Your parent signs DCF's Appointment of a Designated Representative form (CF-ES 2505); if your parent can't act, you can self-appoint on the same form. You then give DCF the information it needs for applications and renewals.

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These independent insurance agents are licensed in Florida and work with Benefits Life, the publisher of this site. When they enroll you in a plan, the agent and Benefits Life may be paid by the insurance company. Learn more.