I recommend you get something in writing. Call and specifically request a 'benefits verification letter' that shows the breakdown of SSDI and SSI. This is more reliable than what representatives tell you over the phone. Given what you described, it sounds like your sister will receive around $425 in SSDI as a Disabled Adult Child benefit on your father's record, and then a reduced SSI payment to bring her up to the maximum allowed total. The mySSA account will eventually catch up, but official letters are your best bet for accurate information.

I'm going through something similar with my nephew right now after his mom passed. One thing that really helped us was keeping a detailed log of every conversation with SSA - date, time, representative name if they give it, and exactly what they said about the amounts. When we had three different reps give us three different calculations, I brought this log to our local office and the supervisor was able to see the inconsistencies and get us connected with someone who could actually pull up the detailed calculations. Also, don't be afraid to ask the representative to explain WHERE they're getting their numbers from - sometimes they're looking at preliminary calculations vs. finalized amounts. The whole process took about 5 months to fully settle for us, but having that documentation really helped speed things up once we escalated it.

I'm so sorry for your sister's loss and what she's going through right now. This thread has been incredibly helpful to read as someone new to this community - the depth of knowledge and support here is amazing. I wanted to add one resource that hasn't been mentioned yet that might be valuable for your sister's situation. Many states have Benefits Outreach Programs or similar services (sometimes called SOAR programs) that specifically help people navigate complex benefit situations involving multiple agencies. These programs often have staff who are trained in both Social Security and Medicaid rules and can provide ongoing support as situations change over time. They're usually free and can be especially helpful for families dealing with disability-related benefits alongside survivor benefits. Also, since your sister is managing so many different aspects of this situation, she might benefit from creating a simple calendar system to track important dates - like when her annual Social Security reviews are due, when her Medicaid waiver renewal comes up, or when she needs to submit any required documentation. Having those dates visible can help prevent last-minute scrambling for paperwork. The advice everyone has given about documentation is so important, and your sister is really fortunate to have your advocacy and support during this challenging time.

can someone please explain to me how you accomplished this with the earnings test? I have called Social Security at least 10x and get a different answer every time. My husband passed and I am receiving difficulty of care payments from a home and community based service through a Medicaid waiver myself for the care I provide for my adult disabled daughter at home. The program does not take taxes from me, but yet half of the reps say it disqualifies me from the in care benefits because it is considered earned income. HOW can it be earned income when I am not able to pay FICA on the monies, not able to earn my own work credits, not able to invest in a 401k, and not able to add to my own Medicare. I would be completely reliant on my deceased husband's record. This makes no sense. I do earn way above the yearly amount to determine my in care benefits, BUT I essentially have no way to prepare myself for my own retirement due to needing to fill out 2014-7 irs form because the program does not take taxes due to me providing care for her in my home. How did anyone get this letter of determination? I fear losing the benefits and being punished for taking care of my medically fragile adult daughter.

I work for a nonprofit that helps families navigate Social Security benefits, and I see this heartbreaking situation frequently. You're absolutely making the right choice by researching this thoroughly before proceeding. One additional option to consider alongside legal guardianship is something called "standby guardianship" in some states. This allows you to have immediate parental authority in emergencies or when the biological parent is unavailable, while still preserving the legal parent-child relationship for benefit purposes. Also, I'd recommend documenting your stepparent role in other meaningful ways during these years - like being listed as an emergency contact, having your name added to school records where possible, and creating a family mission statement or letter explaining your commitment to her. These gestures can help solidify your family bond while you wait. The $150,000+ you're preserving for her future is an incredible gift. Many biological parents don't leave their children that kind of financial security. Your willingness to delay legal recognition to protect her benefits shows true parental love and wisdom.

I'm going through something very similar right now - my partner and I are engaged and I was planning to adopt her 7-year-old son who receives survivor benefits from his father. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly eye-opening and honestly a bit overwhelming. The amount of money we're talking about really puts things in perspective. Her son gets about $980 monthly, which over the next 11 years would be over $125,000. That's literally a college education right there. What strikes me most is how many people seem to have learned about this rule AFTER the adoption happened. It's frustrating that SSA doesn't make this clearer upfront. I called them last week about a different question and they never mentioned this potential issue. I think we're going to follow the advice here about consulting with a family law attorney who understands both adoption and Social Security rules. The legal guardianship and power of attorney options sound like they could work for us too. Has anyone here actually spoken directly with SSA about their specific situation before making the decision? I'm wondering if there might be any nuances based on individual circumstances that we should explore before completely ruling out adoption.

As someone new to receiving Social Security benefits, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I just started getting my retirement payments a few months ago and wasn't sure how holidays would affect the schedule. Based on what everyone is saying, it sounds like the key is to prepare for potential banking delays rather than SSA delays. I'm definitely going to contact my credit union this week to ask about their holiday processing timeline. It's reassuring to know that the payment will still come on December 24th - I was worried it might get pushed all the way to after New Year's!

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who's been getting Social Security for about 15 years now. The December payment situation has come up several times, and here's what I've learned: The SSA is actually pretty reliable about getting payments out on schedule, even around holidays. The real wildcard is always your bank or credit union. What I do now is check my account balance online the evening before my expected payment date, then again first thing in the morning. If it's not there by noon on the payment day, I call my bank directly rather than SSA. Nine times out of ten, it's just a processing delay on the bank's end. Also, if you're really concerned about December 24th, you might consider switching to paper checks just for that month - you can change it back to direct deposit afterward. The paper check usually arrives a day or two before the electronic deposit would hit anyway.

That sounds like a solid plan! Since you're 59 now, you have a good opportunity to strategically think about this. One thing to consider is that if you're currently in your peak earning years, even without indexing, your age 60+ earnings might still be high enough to bump out some of those early career years from your top 35. You might want to pull your Social Security statement (available at ssa.gov/myaccount) to see your current earnings record and get a sense of which years might be your lowest. That way you can make a more informed decision about whether working those extra years will meaningfully increase your benefit calculation. Good luck with your planning!

Just wanted to add another perspective on this - I'm a retired HR benefits administrator and helped employees with Social Security questions for 30 years. The indexing system can seem complex, but it's actually quite fair when you understand it. One thing I always told people approaching 60 is to consider not just the raw numbers, but also quality of life. Yes, working past 60 might replace some lower-earning indexed years, but remember that delaying retirement also means fewer years to enjoy your benefits. Also worth noting - if you're still working and haven't filed for Social Security yet, each year you delay past your full retirement age (until age 70), you get delayed retirement credits that increase your benefit by about 8% per year. That's often a better return than trying to squeeze out a few more high-earning years to replace indexed ones. The key is running the actual numbers for your specific situation rather than making assumptions!