A Step-By-Step Guide to Claiming Disabled Adult Child Benefits

Adult children who are disabled may be eligible to receive Social Security disability benefits based upon a parent’s earnings

Most US citizens tend to be of the opinion that Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is designed to help older people who can no longer work because of a medical condition or impairment.

However if you’re an adult child who is disabled and unable to work, you may be eligible to receive disability benefits based upon a parent’s earnings.

That’s because, while SSDI is a program designed for US citizens who have worked and paid Social Security taxes for years before they became disabled, the SSA acknowledges that most young adults simply won’t have been able to work long enough to qualify for SSDI independently. Enter the Disabled Adult Child benefit program or DAC.

Do I qualify as a disabled adult child?

If you are:

• unmarried,
• over the age of 18,
• have a disability that began before you turned 22 – and, crucially, meet the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) definition of ‘disabled’,
• and one of your parents currently receives Social Security Disability Benefits –

then you will be considered a disabled adult child.

This means you’ll be able to receive monthly payments through SSDI based on your parents’ work experience rather than your own.

Additionally, the SSA will use the same eligibility standards to determine whether you are disabled as it would use for any adult seeking disability benefits. In a nutshell this means:

• You must be suffering from a severe impairment.
• Your medical condition means that you are unable to work.

You must have had or expect to have your medical condition for at least one year, or it’s expected to result in death.

As a disabled adult child, your monthly payment will be based on your parent’s primary insurance amount (PIA) – aka the amount that they would receive if they started receiving benefits at the normal retirement age of 66.

It’s worth noting that PIA varies from person to person and the amount you will receive depends on your parent’s work history.

As a general rule of thumb, you can expect to be paid half (50%) of your parent’s PIA, or three quarters (75%) if your parent is deceased.

The average PIA is approximately $1,600 per month, so if your parent’s PIA is in line with this, you would collect $800 if they are alive or $1,200 if they have passed. The monthly disability benefits will continue for as long as you have a disability and you do not get married.

What happens if I am already receiving benefits?

If, as an adult child, you are already receiving Social Security Disability Benefits – be it SSI or SSDI – based on your own records, you should still check to see if benefits may be available based upon your parent’s work history, as there may well be an opportunity to receive more substantial benefits.

How do I apply for Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits?

Typically, Social Security disability claims applications can be filed online, but if you are a disabled adult child seeking SSDI benefits under a parent’s work record, this isn’t possible.

Instead, you will need to contact the SSA at 800-772-1213 to make an application appointment at your local SSA office. Once they have all the necessary paperwork, the SSA will then forward your documents to the Disability Determination Services (DDS) in your state, who will determine whether or not to grant you Disabled Adult Child benefits.

Additionally, if you are over the age of 22, you should also complete the Adult Disability Report and the Authorization to Disclose Information to the Social Security Administration.

A word of warning: it’s not a quick process, so be prepared for it to take several months until you hear the outcome of your application for DAC benefits.

How we can help

The fact is that applying for Social Security is always difficult – so you shouldn’t have to start such a stressful and demanding process all on your own.

Here at Sampson Dunlap HQ, we can give you the support you need and advise you on how to apply for the DAC benefit program.

Our stellar disability lawyers, Lucinda Dunlap and Keith Kinzebach, have specialized in Social Security disability claims for over 30 years – all of which means that we know how to argue your case with Social Security in the most likely way to have benefits approved for you.

We understand that dealing with a disability is hard enough as it is, and will fight from start to finish to help you secure the DAC disability benefits you both need and deserve. Don’t delay: speak to Sampson Dunlap today. We truly look forward to hearing from you.