Medicare for disabled adult child - waiting 2 years after starting my Social Security retirement?

The SSA rep is confusing two different rules. For a disabled adult child (what SSA calls a Disabled Adult Child or DAC), they can receive BENEFITS on your record when you start collecting retirement, but Medicare eligibility works differently. Your son would need to be approved for DAC benefits first, and then there's typically a 24-month waiting period from his first disability benefit payment before Medicare begins - it's not tied to how long YOU'VE been collecting. Has your son been approved for DAC benefits yet?

I went through this exact thing with my daughter!!!! The SS office told me WRONG information THREE TIMES!! They kept saying different things each time I called. Your son needs to apply for DAC (Disabled Adult Child) benefits first, then after he's approved there's a 24 month waiting period for Medicare. BUT the 24 months starts from when he's eligible for DAC, not necessarily from when he applies!!! So get him applied ASAP!!

To clarify the process: Your adult disabled son needs to file for Childhood Disability Benefits (CDB, also called Disabled Adult Child benefits) on your record. There's Form SSA-4-BK for this. Once approved, there's a 24-month waiting period before Medicare starts. The wait begins from his entitlement date, not your retirement date. Also important: your son must have become disabled before age 22 to qualify. If you haven't filed for the CDB yet, that's step one.

I had to call SSA about 15 times before I finally got someone who knew what they were talking about with my disabled daughter's Medicare. The phone lines are absolutely terrible - I'd wait 2+ hours just to get disconnected. Finally I tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of hours. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. Saved me so much frustration when dealing with the DAC application process. Might be worth checking out since you'll probably need to call SSA multiple times to get this sorted.

my cousin had to do this for her son and the wait sucks but nothin u can do about it. make sure u have ALL his medical records going back to when he was 19 showing the disability. SS is super picky about proof! good luck

There are some exceptions to the 24-month Medicare waiting period though! If your son has End-Stage Renal Disease or ALS, the waiting period is waived. Also, if he was previously entitled to benefits that were terminated, and he becomes entitled again within 5 years, any previous months of entitlement count toward the 24 months.

ALSO!!! I forgot to mention - while you're waiting for Medicare to kick in, check if your state has a Medicaid program for disabled adults! My daughter qualified for Medicaid during the Medicare waiting period and it helped SOOO much with her medical bills!!!

One more thing to consider: Once your son is approved for DAC benefits, he might be eligible for SSI (Supplemental Security Income) during the Medicare waiting period if his income and resources are low enough. SSI recipients automatically qualify for Medicaid in most states, which could help with healthcare costs while waiting for Medicare. You should specifically ask about this when you call SSA about the DAC application.

Just wanted to add that you should also ask about retroactive benefits when you file the DAC application. If your son's disability onset was before age 22 and you've been collecting retirement benefits for 14 months, he might be entitled to back payments from when you first started collecting (or up to 12 months before the application date, whichever is less). This could provide some financial help while you're navigating the Medicare waiting period. Also, make sure to keep copies of EVERYTHING you submit - SSA has a tendency to lose paperwork and you'll want documentation of what you filed and when.

I'm new here but went through something similar with my brother last year. One thing I learned that might help - when you call SSA to start the DAC application process, ask to speak specifically with a "disability specialist" or ask to be transferred to the disability determination unit. The general customer service reps often don't have complete knowledge about DAC benefits and the Medicare waiting periods. Also, if possible, try calling first thing in the morning (8 AM) when they open - the wait times are usually shorter then. The whole process can be really overwhelming, but once you get the right person on the phone who understands DAC benefits, it becomes much clearer. Hang in there!

I'm going through this exact same situation with my adult son right now! He's 35 and became disabled at 20, and I just started my retirement benefits 8 months ago. The SSA representative I spoke with gave me completely different information - they said he could get Medicare immediately once approved for DAC benefits. It's so frustrating how inconsistent the information is! I'm definitely going to call back and ask specifically for a disability specialist like Oliver suggested. Has anyone had success getting clearer timelines on how long the DAC application process itself takes? I'm worried about the gap in coverage while we're waiting for everything to get processed.

I'm a new member here but wanted to share what I learned when helping my sister with her disabled son's Medicare situation. One thing that really helped us was requesting a written summary from SSA after we got the DAC benefits approved. They can provide a document that clearly states the Medicare eligibility date (24 months from the DAC entitlement date) which is super helpful for planning purposes. Also, don't forget to ask about Medicare Part D prescription coverage - once your son becomes eligible for Medicare, he'll want to enroll in Part D right away to avoid late enrollment penalties, especially if he takes regular medications for his condition. The whole system is unnecessarily complicated, but this community has been such a great resource for figuring it all out!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share my experience since I just went through this process with my daughter last year. The 2-year waiting period the SSA rep mentioned is definitely wrong - that's not how DAC Medicare works at all! What actually happens is: 1) Your son needs to apply for DAC benefits first (he should qualify since his disability started at 19), 2) Once approved for DAC, there's a separate 24-month waiting period for Medicare that starts from his DAC entitlement date, not from when you started retirement. The good news is that if he's approved, he might be entitled to retroactive DAC payments going back to when you first started collecting retirement benefits. I'd strongly recommend calling back and asking specifically to speak with a disability specialist - the general reps often don't understand DAC rules. Also, definitely look into Medicaid eligibility for the gap period before Medicare kicks in. It saved us thousands in medical costs during that waiting period. Good luck!

As someone who went through this exact situation with my adult son two years ago, I can confirm that the SSA representative gave you completely incorrect information. The 2-year waiting period they mentioned doesn't exist for DAC Medicare eligibility. Here's what actually needs to happen: Your son needs to file for Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits on your work record first - this is a separate application from your retirement benefits. Once he's approved for DAC benefits, THEN there's a 24-month waiting period before Medicare begins, and this 24-month period starts from his DAC entitlement date, not from when you started collecting retirement. Since his disability began at 19 (before age 22), he should definitely qualify. I'd recommend calling SSA back and asking specifically to speak with a disability specialist rather than a general representative - they're much more knowledgeable about DAC rules. Also, definitely apply for Medicaid in your state during the Medicare waiting period if possible. The whole process took about 4 months for us to get the DAC approval, but it was worth it. Don't let that first rep's confusion delay you from getting started!