Can my disabled adult daughter switch from SSDI to half of my retirement benefits?

Your daughter likely wouldn't be switching TO half of your retirement - but rather could potentially be eligible for additional benefits under the Childhood Disability Benefits (CDB), formerly called Disabled Adult Child benefits. This allows an adult disabled child to receive benefits on a parent's record if their disability began before age 22. The benefit amount would be up to 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) while you're living, or up to 75% if she receives survivor benefits after your passing. However, this doesn't mean she would receive that full amount in addition to her current SSDI. She would receive the higher of either her own SSDI benefit OR the CDB benefit amount - not both. There's also the family maximum limit to consider, which caps total benefits paid on your record.

my brother get disabilty from when he was 19 and when my dad retired they did switch him to dads record and he got more $$ you should defintely call them and check it out!!! But the system is so broken it took like 5 months to fix it all up.

I was wondering about this same thing for my son!!! Did you find out if she qualifies? Does anyone know if they look at the parents income or assets for this? My son gets SSI not SSDI and I'm worried about messing up his benefits if I apply for the wrong thing.

You need to call SSA and specifically ask about "Child's Benefits for an Adult Disabled Before Age 22" (what they call CDB/DAC benefits). The important thing to understand here is that she wouldn't get her full SSDI PLUS half your benefit. Instead, SSA will calculate what she'd get on your record, and if it's higher than her current SSDI, she'll get the higher amount. Some key points: 1. Her disability must have started before age 22 2. She must be unmarried (with some exceptions) 3. The benefit is subject to the family maximum rule Based on the numbers you mentioned, if half your benefit would be more than $1,230, it's definitely worth applying. She could get a nice increase.

I spent THREE WEEKS trying to get through to SSA about a similar situation with my disabled son. Endless busy signals, disconnections, and hold times that went nowhere. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual SSA representative in less than 25 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I got through, the rep confirmed my son was eligible for benefits on my record and it increased his monthly amount by $275. Definitely worth checking out for your daughter!

BE CAREFUL!!!!! When my cousin tried to do something similar with her disabled daughter, SSA reviewed her daughter's entire case and decided she wasn't disabled enough anymore and TERMINATED all her benefits!!! It took 14 months and a lawyer to get them reinstated. The system is RIGGED to look for any excuse to deny benefits they already approved!!!!!

Just chiming in to say there's also something called the family maximum benefit that limits the total amount that can be paid on a single worker's record. Usually it's between 150-180% of the worker's full benefit. So depending on if there are other people getting benefits on your record (like a spouse), that could affect how much your daughter might receive.

The benefit you're referring to is called Childhood Disability Benefits (CDB). Here are the requirements: 1. Your daughter must have become disabled before age 22 2. She must be unmarried (with certain exceptions) 3. She must meet the definition of disability for adults 4. She must be at least 18 years old Since your daughter is already receiving SSDI on her own record, she meets the disability criteria. If she qualifies for CDB on your record, she'll receive the higher of either her own benefit or the CDB benefit (up to 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount) - not both. I recommend calling SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to discuss this specific situation and initiate an application if appropriate. They'll need to calculate whether this would increase her total benefit.

I went through this exact process with my disabled son last year! Just wanted to share a few practical tips that might help: 1. When you call SSA, ask specifically for the "Adult Disabled Child" benefits application - some representatives aren't immediately familiar with this program and might think you're asking about something else. 2. They'll need documentation proving her disability began before age 22. If you don't have this readily available, they can often pull medical records from her original SSDI application. 3. The processing time was about 3-4 months in our case, but the benefits were retroactive to when we first applied. 4. One thing that surprised me: even though my son's monthly benefit only increased by about $180, it also made him eligible for Medicare Part B premium assistance that we didn't know about before. The math worked out well for us - his SSDI was around $1,100 and switching to my record got him $1,280. Definitely worth pursuing if the numbers suggest she'd get more on your record!

I'm going through something similar with my disabled daughter right now! From what I've learned, the key thing is that she would get whichever amount is higher - either her current SSDI or the childhood disability benefits on your record. One thing I'd add that I don't see mentioned yet is that you should gather any medical records or documentation from when her disability first started, especially if it was before age 22. SSA will need to verify the onset date of her disability for the childhood disability benefits eligibility. Also, don't let the horror stories scare you off completely. While yes, there can be complications, many people successfully navigate this process and end up with higher benefits. Just make sure you have all your documentation ready and be persistent with the phone calls. The potential increase sounds like it could be worth it for your daughter's situation. Good luck with the process - I hope it works out well for both of you!

I just wanted to add something that might be helpful for your situation - when I helped my sister navigate this process for her disabled son, we discovered that the SSA representative we spoke with was able to do a preliminary calculation over the phone to give us an estimate of what his benefit would be on her record versus his current SSDI. This was really valuable because it helped us decide whether it was worth pursuing before going through the full application process. They couldn't give us an exact amount, but they could tell us it would likely be a meaningful increase based on her earnings record. Also, one thing to keep in mind is that if your daughter does switch to benefits on your record, her benefit amount could potentially increase again when you pass away (hopefully many years from now!) since survivor benefits for disabled adult children can be up to 75% of the parent's full benefit amount. Given that her current SSDI is $1,230 and you mentioned half of your benefit would be around $1,500, this definitely seems worth exploring. The worst they can say is no, but based on what you've shared, it sounds like she has a good chance of qualifying and receiving a nice increase.

I work for a disability advocacy organization and see this situation frequently. Your daughter likely qualifies for what's called Adult Disabled Child (ADC) benefits on your record. The key requirements are: disability onset before age 22, currently unmarried, and you're receiving retirement benefits. Here's what many people don't realize - she wouldn't lose her SSDI eligibility by applying. SSA will simply pay whichever amount is higher. If the ADC benefit calculation is less than her current $1,230 SSDI, she keeps getting SSDI. If it's more (like the $1,500 you estimated), she gets the higher amount. A few important points: - The application process doesn't put her current benefits at risk - ADC benefits aren't subject to the same continuing disability reviews as SSDI - If approved, she could also become eligible for Medicare premium assistance programs I'd strongly recommend calling SSA's main number and asking to speak with someone about "Adult Disabled Child benefits" - use those exact words. They can run preliminary calculations and tell you if it's worth pursuing. Given your numbers, this could mean an extra $270+ monthly for your daughter, which adds up to over $3,000 annually.

I'm in a very similar situation with my disabled son who's been on SSDI since he was 25. He's now 38 and I just started collecting my retirement benefits last year. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly enlightening - I had no idea about Adult Disabled Child benefits! A few questions for those who've been through this process: Does it matter that my son's disability didn't officially start until after age 22, even though he had symptoms and struggles throughout his teens? His formal diagnosis and SSDI approval came when he was 24, but we have medical records showing treatment for the same condition going back to when he was 19. Also, has anyone dealt with this when the disabled adult child lives in a different state than the parent? I'm worried that might complicate the application process. The potential monthly increase would be significant for him too - his current SSDI is only $980 and half of my retirement benefit would be around $1,400. After reading everyone's experiences, especially the professional insight from Ava Hernandez, I'm definitely planning to call SSA next week. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences!

I'm a newcomer here but have been dealing with Social Security issues for my disabled brother for years. Reading through this thread has been really eye-opening - I had no idea about Adult Disabled Child benefits either! Just wanted to add one thing I learned the hard way: when you call SSA, try to call early in the morning (right when they open at 7 AM) or later in the afternoon after 3 PM. The middle of the day and Mondays are absolutely brutal for wait times. I've had much better luck getting through and speaking with knowledgeable representatives during those off-peak hours. Also, keep detailed notes of who you speak with (get their name and badge number if possible) and what they tell you. I've had different reps give conflicting information on the same case, so having that documentation helps when you need to reference previous conversations. The potential increase for your daughter sounds really promising based on the numbers you shared. It's great to see so many people here sharing their positive experiences - it gives me hope for navigating this system! Thanks to everyone for the detailed information and tips.

As someone new to this community, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and helpful information about Adult Disabled Child benefits! I'm in a somewhat similar situation with my disabled nephew (he's 29 and has been on SSDI since he was 26), and honestly had never heard of ADC benefits until reading through this thread. What strikes me most is how many people seem to be unaware of this potential benefit - including myself until just now. It makes me wonder how many families might be missing out on additional support simply because they don't know to ask about it. I'm particularly grateful for the practical tips about calling SSA (especially the timing advice from Dylan Wright) and the professional perspective from Ava Hernandez about the application not putting current benefits at risk. That concern about jeopardizing existing SSDI seems to be a common worry based on the responses here. For the original poster, it really sounds like your daughter has a strong case for ADC benefits given that her disability began before 22 and she meets the other criteria. The potential increase from $1,230 to around $1,500 would be substantial. I'm definitely planning to look into this for my nephew as well - his current SSDI is only $1,050 and my sister's retirement benefit is significantly higher. Thanks again to everyone who shared their experiences and expertise. This is exactly the kind of community support that makes navigating these complex systems more manageable!