Can my disabled brother get higher SS benefits now that our father died? Currently on SSDI+SSI

Yes, your brother might qualify for what's called Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits, also known as Childhood Disability Benefits (CDB). This allows adults who became disabled before age 22 to collect benefits on a parent's work record when that parent dies, retires, or becomes disabled. Since your brother was apparently already receiving some SSDI, he must have worked some in his life, but the benefit amount could potentially increase based on your father's earnings record. He should contact SSA immediately as there may be time limits for filing. Also, getting higher SSDI might reduce the SSI amount, but the total should be more overall.

sry about ur dad. my cousin got more $ when his mom died so yeah its a thing. they call it something weird like adult disabled child benefits even tho that sounds backwards lol. but he had to go to the office and wait FOREVER. like all day. bring snacks!

I went through EXACTLY this with my sister when our father passed. You absolutely need to apply for the Childhood Disability Benefits for your brother. His benefit amount will be based on your dad's earnings record - up to 75% of what your dad's full retirement benefit was. BUT BE WARNED - the SSA lost our paperwork TWICE and we had to start over. It took almost 8 MONTHS to finally get it approved!!! And yes, when her SSDI increased, her SSI decreased, but overall she gets about $435 more per month now. MAKE SURE you keep copies of EVERYTHING you submit to them!!!

Your brother probably qualifies for higher benefits as a Disabled Adult Child (DAC). Those are benefits paid to adults who became disabled before age 22 and can now collect on a parent's work record. He needs to contact SSA right away though - there's a time limit for filing (I think 6 months from death) to get all retroactive benefits. The good news is DAC benefits are usually higher than what he's getting now. The bad news is dealing with SSA will be frustrating!

My neighbor got more money when her dad died too. She said they had to fill out form SSA-4-BIC? I think that's what it's called. She got backpay too!

I work with disabled clients and can confirm your brother likely qualifies for Childhood Disability Benefits (CDB) on your father's record. Here's what you need to know: 1. He must have become disabled before age 22 2. He must be unmarried (unless married to another beneficiary) 3. He'll need to file application SSA-4-BIC specifically 4. The benefit will be 75% of your father's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) 5. There's a 6-month filing window to get maximum retroactive benefits Also important: When his SSDI increases, his SSI will likely decrease dollar-for-dollar, BUT he'll still come out ahead because the SSDI increase should be more than his current SSI amount. Plus, SSDI doesn't have the same strict resource limits as SSI.

THE SSA WILL MAKE YOU JUMP THROUGH HOOPS FOR THIS!!! My brother should have gotten benefits when our mom died and they kept saying he wasn't eligible then FINALLY after we got a lawyer they admitted he was!! We had to fight for YEARS and only got backpay for 1 year even though mom died in 2019!!! The system is BROKEN!!! Don't let them tell you no the first time!!!

my aunt tried to get this for my cousin but they said he made too much money from a part time job he had like 10 years ago? makes no sense. good luck with your brother tho!

Call them like a million times and you'll never get thru lol. i spent 4 hours on hold last week

One more important point: When your brother starts receiving the higher benefit amount on your father's record, his benefit status will change from SSDI to Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits. This is important because DAC benefits have different rules than regular SSDI. For example, if your brother ever gets married, he could lose the DAC benefits unless he marries someone who is also receiving certain types of Social Security benefits. Also, make sure to bring your brother's birth certificate, your father's death certificate, and proof of your brother's disability to the SSA appointment.

UPDATE: I just spoke with my brother and he says you should also request the benefit verification letter from SSA once everything is processed. It took us another 2 months after approval to get all the payment amounts sorted out correctly. The letter will show exactly how much SSDI and SSI he qualifies for. If the math doesn't add up right (which happened to us), you'll have documentation to help get it fixed. Also, have your brother's current benefit verification letter with you when you go in so you can compare the old and new amounts.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm a newcomer here but wanted to share that I went through something similar with my disabled sister when our mom passed. The advice about Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits is spot on - your brother should definitely be eligible if he became disabled before age 22. One thing I'd add is to ask SSA about potentially backdating the benefits to your father's date of death. When we applied for my sister, they were able to backdate hers which resulted in a nice lump sum payment. Also, don't be discouraged if the first person you talk to seems confused about DAC benefits - not all SSA employees are familiar with them. Ask to speak with someone who specializes in survivor benefits if needed. The whole process took about 4 months for us, but my sister's monthly income increased by about $400 overall even after her SSI was reduced. Good luck!

I'm new to this community but wanted to offer my condolences on your father's passing. I actually work as a benefits counselor and can confirm that your brother should definitely qualify for Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits based on what you've described. Since he's already receiving SSDI, he clearly became disabled before age 22, which is the key requirement. A few practical tips from my experience helping families through this process: 1) Make your SSA appointment as soon as possible - don't just walk in, as wait times can be brutal, 2) Bring multiple copies of everything (death certificate, birth certificate, current benefit letters), 3) Ask specifically for form SSA-4-BIC when you go in, and 4) Request that they calculate both scenarios (his current benefits vs. the new DAC amount) so you can see the exact difference. The good news is that even though his SSI will likely decrease when his SSDI increases, the net result should be significantly more money each month. Hope this helps!

I'm new to this community and wanted to express my condolences for your father's passing. I went through a very similar situation with my disabled son when my husband passed away two years ago. Your brother should definitely be eligible for Disabled Adult Child benefits - the fact that he's already receiving SSDI means he meets the "disabled before age 22" requirement. One thing I learned that hasn't been mentioned yet is to ask SSA about getting a "protective filing date" when you first contact them, even if you don't have all your paperwork ready. This can help preserve your brother's right to backdated benefits while you gather everything together. Also, keep detailed records of every interaction with SSA - dates, times, who you spoke with, and what was discussed. This saved me when there were discrepancies later in the process. The whole thing took about 5 months for us, but my son's monthly income increased by nearly $500 after everything was sorted out. Wishing you and your brother the best of luck with this!

I'm new to this community and wanted to first express my sincere condolences on your father's passing. Having recently joined, I've been reading through all the responses here and I'm impressed by how helpful everyone has been with their experiences and advice about Disabled Adult Child benefits. As a newcomer who hasn't dealt with SSA much before, I wanted to ask - when you do go to your appointment, should you bring a family member or advocate with you? I'm wondering if having someone else there to help ask questions and take notes might be beneficial, especially given how complex this all seems and how easy it is for important details to get missed or forgotten during what can be an overwhelming process. Also, has anyone had experience with appealing if SSA initially denies the DAC application? I noticed one commenter mentioned they had to fight for years - I'm hoping that's not typical, but it would be good to know what options exist if things don't go smoothly the first time around. Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences here - this community seems like such a valuable resource for people navigating these complicated benefit issues!

I'm new to this community and wanted to first offer my condolences on your father's passing. I recently joined after my own family started dealing with Social Security issues, and I'm amazed by how supportive and knowledgeable everyone here is. I don't have personal experience with DAC benefits yet, but reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational. It sounds like your brother has a strong case for getting increased benefits, especially since he's already receiving SSDI which confirms the "disabled before age 22" requirement. One thing I noticed from everyone's experiences is how important it seems to be prepared and persistent. Between the potential for lost paperwork, long wait times, and varying levels of knowledge among SSA staff, it really sounds like going in organized and advocating strongly for your brother will be key. I'm bookmarking this thread because the advice here is so comprehensive - from specific form numbers to practical tips about bringing snacks for long waits. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, and I hope your brother's case goes smoothly! Please keep us updated on how it goes.

I'm new to this community and wanted to first express my deepest condolences on your father's passing. I joined recently after my own family began navigating Social Security issues, and I'm truly impressed by the wealth of knowledge and support shared here. While I don't have direct experience with DAC benefits myself, I've been following this thread closely and wanted to add one small piece of advice based on what I learned when helping my elderly neighbor with her SSA issues last year: consider calling ahead to confirm what documents they'll need before your appointment. Even though everyone has given excellent suggestions about what to bring (death certificate, birth certificate, current benefit letters, etc.), different offices sometimes have slightly different requirements or may ask for additional documentation. Also, if possible, try to schedule your appointment for earlier in the day. My neighbor found that SSA staff seemed more patient and thorough in the mornings compared to later appointments when they were dealing with the accumulated stress of the day. The collective wisdom in this thread about being persistent, keeping detailed records, and asking for specialists is invaluable. Wishing you and your brother the very best outcome with this process - please do update us on how everything goes!

I'm new to this community and wanted to first offer my heartfelt condolences on your father's passing. I recently joined after my own family started dealing with Social Security complications, and I've been really impressed by how supportive everyone here has been. Reading through all the responses, it's clear your brother has a strong case for DAC benefits. One thing I wanted to add that I learned from helping a friend navigate SSA issues is to consider bringing a simple notebook to jot down names and employee ID numbers of everyone you speak with at SSA. My friend found this incredibly helpful when she had to follow up later - she could reference specific conversations and the staff seemed to take her more seriously when she had detailed records. Also, if your brother has any current medical documentation that shows his disability onset date, it might be worth bringing that along too. While he's already receiving SSDI so the "disabled before 22" requirement should be clear, having backup documentation never hurts when dealing with government agencies. The advice everyone has shared here about persistence, preparation, and not taking no for an answer is spot on. Best of luck with this process, and please keep us updated on how it goes! This community clearly cares about helping each other through these challenging situations.

I'm new to this community and wanted to first express my sincere condolences on your father's passing. I recently joined after my own family started dealing with Social Security issues, and I've been following this thread with great interest as we're navigating similar challenges. While I don't have personal experience with DAC benefits yet, I wanted to share something I learned when helping my aunt with her SSA paperwork last month. She found it really helpful to create a simple checklist of everything she needed to accomplish during her appointment - not just what documents to bring, but also what questions to ask and what forms to request. This helped her stay focused during what turned out to be a pretty overwhelming meeting with multiple interruptions and distractions. Based on all the excellent advice shared here, it sounds like your checklist might include things like: requesting form SSA-4-BIC, asking for a protective filing date, requesting benefit calculations for both scenarios, asking about backdating to your father's date of death, and making sure to speak with someone who specializes in survivor benefits if the first person seems unfamiliar with DAC benefits. The wealth of knowledge and support in this community is truly remarkable. Everyone who has shared their experiences - both positive and challenging - has created such a valuable resource. Wishing you and your brother all the best as you navigate this process!