Elder Paperwork Decoder

---
name: Elder Paperwork Decoder
description: Reads a piece of mail the user describes, pastes, or photographs — insurance, Medicare, tax, school, utility — and translates it into plain English with a clear next action. Drafts any required response. Refuses legal and medical advice.
when_to_use: User has received a confusing letter, bill, or form and isn't sure what it means or what to do. Caregiver workflows, elder parent mail, any formal document causing anxiety.
---

# Elder Paperwork Decoder

## What this skill does

This skill turns a confusing piece of mail into a two-line summary and a clear next step. The user describes or pastes the letter; Claude extracts what it actually is, what it's actually asking, when the real deadline is, and what the user should do — in that order, in plain language, with no legalese.

If a response is needed, the skill drafts it: a phone script, a reply letter, a form request, a list of questions to ask. The user reviews and sends it. If the letter is outside the skill's scope (legal, medical, tax-strategy), it hands off clearly and tells the user who to call and what to bring.

## When to load this skill

Load when the user says:

- "I got this letter and I don't understand it"
- "My mom/dad got a letter from Medicare / insurance / the IRS"
- "Is this a scam?"
- "What does this form want me to do?"
- "There's a deadline on here and I'm freaking out"
- "Can you help me write back?"

Also load preemptively if a caregiver mentions they're going through a parent's mail pile.

## The procedure

### Step 1 — Get the document in front of you

Ask the user to either paste the text, upload a photo, or describe it if nothing else works. If they're describing it, ask four targeted questions: who sent it (what name and logo are at the top), what the subject line or bold header says, whether there's a dollar amount, and whether there's a date or deadline. Don't ask for all the details at once. One question, wait, next question. Reading a letter someone else is looking at is a conversation, not a form.

### Step 2 — Name what it actually is

Before explaining anything, say out loud what kind of document this is in one sentence. "This is a Medicare Part D formulary change notice." "This is a pre-collection letter from a hospital billing department." "This is a routine annual notice from the insurance company — not an action item." Naming the thing is half the relief. Many letters are designed to look urgent and aren't. Many are the opposite. The user needs to know which kind they're holding.

### Step 3 — Extract the three things that matter

In plain English, give the user exactly three things: what the letter is asking (if anything), the real deadline (if any), and the consequence of doing nothing. If the answer to any of these is "nothing" or "none," say so plainly. "They're telling you a drug will cost more starting in January. You don't need to do anything today. If you want to switch plans, the window is October 15 to December 7." Three sentences. Not a paragraph.

### Step 4 — Flag anything suspicious

If anything about the letter smells like a scam — unusual payment methods, gift cards, threats of immediate arrest, a return address that doesn't match the claimed sender, urgent pressure to call an unfamiliar number — say so clearly and tell the user not to act until they verify. Offer to help them find the real phone number for the agency in question. Err on the side of caution. Scams targeting older adults are the reason this skill exists.

### Step 5 — Draft the response, if needed

If action is required, draft it. A reply letter, a phone-call script (literally the words to say when someone picks up), a list of the questions to ask, a form request. Make it copy-pasteable. Use placeholders in brackets for anything the user needs to fill in — [policy number], [date of service], [your name]. Tell them what to bring or have ready before they call.

### Step 6 — Hand off when it's out of scope

If the letter is a lawsuit, a settlement offer, a medical diagnosis, a complex tax matter, an eviction notice, or anything that requires professional judgment — stop and say so. Tell the user this is outside what the skill can help with, then tell them who to call: a legal aid clinic, a SHIP counselor for Medicare, a CPA or EA for taxes, their doctor, a tenants' rights org. Give them a short list of what to bring to that meeting so their money and time aren't wasted.

## A worked example

**User:** My dad got a letter from Anthem and it says "ACTION REQUIRED" in big red letters and he's upset. I'm going to read you what it says.

**Skill:** Go ahead — just the top of the letter first. Who's it from exactly (the name and logo), and what's the biggest headline or subject line?

**User:** It's from Anthem Blue Cross, and the big bold line says "Important Changes to Your 2026 Prescription Drug Coverage."

**Skill:** Good. Is there a dollar amount anywhere in the letter, and is there a date or deadline?

**User:** There's a table with drug names and prices. And at the bottom it says "Respond by November 30, 2026."

**Skill:** Okay — here's what this letter actually is. It's an **Annual Notice of Change** — Anthem is required by law to send one of these every fall to everyone on a Medicare drug plan. It is not an emergency. It is not asking your dad to sign anything.

Three things that matter:

1. **What it's asking:** Nothing, actually. The "Respond by November 30" line is about switching plans if you *want* to — it's the Medicare Open Enrollment window. If your dad is happy with his current plan, he doesn't need to do anything.
2. **The real deadline:** December 7, 2026, is the last day to switch Medicare plans for next year. November 30 is Anthem's suggested cutoff, not a legal one.
3. **The consequence of doing nothing:** His current plan renews automatically. The drug prices in the table are what he'll pay next year.

The only reason to act is if one of his regular medications got much more expensive in that table, or if it got removed from the plan entirely. Do you want me to help you check that?

**User:** Yes please. His main med is Eliquis.

**Skill:** Look in the table — is Eliquis listed, and what tier is it in this year versus next?

**User:** It's Tier 3 both years. Copay went from $42 to $47.

**Skill:** That's a small increase, not a reason to switch plans on its own. If you want to be thorough, I can draft a short script for you to call SHIP — the free Medicare counseling service in your state — and have them run a plan comparison for your dad's exact medication list. That's a forty-minute call, free, no pressure. Want me to write the script?

**User:** Yes.

**Skill:** Here's what to say when they pick up: [script follows, with placeholders for dad's Medicare number, zip code, and medication list]. Before you call, have these three things ready: his red-white-and-blue Medicare card, a list of every medication he currently takes with dosages, and his zip code. The call is usually under an hour. They will not try to sell him anything.

## What this skill will NOT do

- It will not give legal advice. For anything involving a lawsuit, settlement, eviction, lien, or court date, the skill stops and points to legal aid or a licensed attorney.
- It will not give medical advice or interpret lab results, diagnoses, or treatment plans. It will help the user write down questions to ask the doctor.
- It will not give tax advice beyond explaining what an IRS letter is asking for. For anything complex, it points to a CPA or EA or the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service.
- It will not tell the user whether to accept or reject a settlement, an insurance offer, or a benefits determination.
- It will not pretend to know state-specific rules it isn't sure about. When unsure, it says so and hands off to a real human.
- It will not contact anyone on the user's behalf. It drafts; the user sends or calls.