Are Children Eligible for Social Security Disability Benefits?

Are Children Eligible for Social Security Disability Benefits?

Although many people are not aware of it, there are actually a number of different ways that children can collect Social Security disability benefits. To find out whether you or your child qualifies for these types of federal benefits, please call a member of our Social Security disability benefits legal team today.

Low-Income Children with Disabilities

Children with disabilities whose families have a low income are often eligible to collect Supplemental Security Income (SSI) until they turn 18 years old, at which point they may actually be able to start collecting adult benefits. However, only those children who meet the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) disability requirements fall under this category. In these cases, a portion of the child’s parents’ income will be attributed to the minor for the purposes of determining whether the applicant is financially eligible. After turning 18 years old, the recipient will need to satisfy the definition of disability for an adult and can no longer use his or her parents’ income when determining eligibility. The SSA considers a person disabled if:

• He or she cannot do the work that he or she previously did;
• He or she cannot adjust to other work as a result of his or her medical conditions; and
• His or her disability is expected to last for a minimum of one year or to result in death.

Only when a person satisfies this definition of disability can he or she collect benefits after turning 18 years old.

Children with a Qualifying Parent

Fortunately, just because a child does not qualify for SSI does not mean that he or she will be barred from collecting benefits. This is because children who are under the age of 18 years old and have a parent, adoptive parent, or stepparent who is receiving Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) or Social Security retirement benefits could be eligible to collect dependents benefits, which are also known as auxiliary benefits. This is true regardless of whether the child is him or herself disabled. Children who are 19 years old also fall under this category if they are full-time students. In these cases, children are eligible for up to 50 percent of their parents’ monthly benefit.

Disabled Adults

Those who are over the age of 18 years old, but who became disabled before they turned 22 years old can also collect disability benefits, but only if they have a parent who is eligible to collect SSDI or Social Security retirement benefits. In fact, this even applies to children whose parents are deceased, as long as they were entitled to one of those benefits before they passed away.

Call Today for Help with Your Case

If your parent is disabled or you have reason to believe that you qualify for benefits as a result of your own disabilities, please call The Comerford Law Office, LLC at 312-863-8572 today to speak with dedicated and compassionate Social Security disability benefits attorney James R. Comerford. Consultations are conducted free of charge, so please don’t hesitate to call or contact us online.