Guardianship and Representative Payee Programs

Volunteers get matched with older adults who need help managing their finances.

Volunteers become certified through Wisconsin's circuit court system and the Social Security Administration in order to make decisions on behalf of the older adult match with whom they work.

The representative payee program is through the Social Security Administration. Volunteers manage only the Social Security funds for older adults who are having problems.

The guardianship program: there are two types of guardians, a "guardian of person" and a "guardian of estate." The guardian of estate becomes the representative payee as well. The guardian of estate is responsible for managing the whole estate of that person. It could be there is a pension, a savings account...etc. Volunteers oversee those funds and make sure that person’s needs are being met.

The "guardian of person" is the person that’s responsible legally, and the guardianship is a legal process through the state of Wisconsin, through the court system, when someone is deemed “incompetent.” Volunteers are responsible for making decisions for that person as far as their health, their social needs, and making sure their rights are being defended, so (it's) making decisions for a person who is no longer able to do that.