A disability causes life to change, there’s simply no way around that reality. But it doesn’t just change for the individual, as the entire family is often affected. And the concern of how to support a family when disabled is a main concern.
Social Security Benefits for Child of Disabled Parent
In addition to the social security disability benefits that an individual may be eligible to receive, there are also often social security benefits for the child of a disabled parent. But what is available – and what type – will depend first on what kind of disability benefits the parent is receiving.
SSD and SSI Benefits for Children of Disabled Parents
Social Security Disability (SSDI) becomes an option for individuals who worked the required amount of time before becoming disabled. Based on the exact amount of time worked per individual and what was paid into the social security system (what was earned), the equation works out for a dollar amount for each person per month. Based on this number, dependents may also be eligible to receive a monthly payout with SSDI.
If someone doesn’t have enough work history to qualify for SSDI, or the job they worked at didn’t pay into social security, there is still the option to qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). But when it comes to dependents, SSI does not provide a payout to children of disabled parents. A disabled child is still able to apply for SSI benefits, but this is independent of the parent’s situation.
How Does a Child Qualify for a Parent’s SSDI Payments?
If an individual with children does qualify for SSDI benefits, the children themselves may qualify for an individual payout as well. Social Security will consider biological children, adopted children and dependent stepchildren to be qualifying children within the program. The other qualifications are that they must be unmarried and less than 18 years of age. However, there are scenarios where a child can be older. The child may qualify if they are under 19 years of age and enrolled full-time as a student in a secondary school, or if the child is disabled and the disability occurred before they were 22 years of age.
Under these same general rules, the child will likely stop receiving the benefits once they turn 18 years of age. Similarly, the above rules do apply in the same way for the exceptions prior to turning 18.
Grandchildren also may be eligible for SSDI benefits if they are being raised by the disabled parent as a child. This means that the child’s biological parents are deceased or disabled, the grandparent provides at least half of their financial support or the child has lived with the grandparent for 12 months before the disability eligibility.
How Much Can a Child of Disabled Parents Receive for Disability Payments?
The amount that a child can actually receive in disability payments relates directly to how much the parent receives, which depends on their past work history, as explained earlier. The general rule is that the child will receive up to 50% of the total SSDI benefits of the eligible parent. But since many households have more than one child, it is worth noting that the total family payout is limited at 150-180% of the benefit entitled to the disabled individual. If the qualifications for a particular family are above that amount, the actual payout would be decreased proportionally per person.
If you have more questions on social security disability benefits for the child of a disabled parent – or if you have been denied benefits for this or any reason, please get the experts at Tabak Law involved in your case. The consultation is free and there are never any fees unless you win.