Disabled Adult Child Benefits

As the baby boomer generation prepares to retire, they begin to question what to do in their golden years.  Travel? Pick up a new hobby? But for some, taking care of their disabled adult children and how to go about doing it after they retire, is a more pressing matter, one thought about way before they can even think of themselves.

The Social Security Administration does have a few options for those families who may be wanting to seek assistance for their disabled adult child (DAC). A DAC is defined as an individual who is unmarried and who, before the age of 22, became disabled (including those disabled since birth). There are three different types of programs available to DAC and their families through the Social Security Administration: Supplemental Security Income benefits (SSI), Disability Insurance benefits (DIB), and Disabled Adult Child benefits (DAC).

The first program, Supplemental Security Income, is a needs-based benefit and is paid regardless of age of the disabled adult child.  However, the disabled adult child must meet certain asset and income criteria.  The monthly benefit payment can be up to $771, which also includes Medicaid health insurance for the disabled adult child.

DIB is another Social Security program that may be available to a disabled adult child. This benefit is payable to adults who have worked and have enough credits to collect benefits under their own record. Monthly benefit payments may be up to $2,687, but this can vary greatly on the disabled adult child’s average lifetime earnings. Medicare insurance is also a benefit that is included with the DIB. 

The third program is the DAC program.  The DAC program provides the disabled adult child with benefit payments based on the work record of the retired or disabled parent. Social Security allows a benefit payment of up to one-half of the monthly retirement benefit of the parent paid to be paid to the disabled adult child.  For example, if a parent is receiving $4,000 in monthly retirement social security benefits, the disabled adult child can receive up to $2,000. This benefit also includes Medicare health insurance.  It is also important to note this benefit to the disabled adult child will not decrease the parent’s own retirement or disability benefit.

If you need assistance with determining if your family qualifies for any of the above benefits, please contact the lawyers at Turley Redmond, & Rosasco, L.L.P. and let them help you through this time.