Social Security CIC benefits for disabled adult son after father's death - can payments start before 5-month waiting period?

First, I'm very sorry for your family's loss. This is a complicated situation but I think I can help clarify. The 5-month waiting period only applies to the disabled worker (your father), not to auxiliary beneficiaries like your disabled brother. However, benefits for auxiliaries can't begin before the disabled worker would have been eligible to receive benefits. Since your father passed away before his waiting period ended, your brother would be eligible for Disabled Adult Child benefits (CIC/DAC benefits) as a survivor benefit starting from the month of your father's death (January 2025). I don't believe you can get benefits prior to January because your father hadn't yet completed his waiting period, but your mother should definitely ask SSA specifically about this. The rules can be complex with disabled adult children.

So sorry about ur dad passing. The SSA is SO bad at explaining these things!!! My cousin has a disabled son and went thru something similar. They NEVER tell u everything ur entitled to. DEFINITELY call back and ASK SPECIFICALLY about earlier payments. Sometimes u can get backpay to the application date if the disability existed before application. Don't just accept what they tell u the first time!! Keep asking questions!!!

When my husband passed, I had to make 4 different calls to get straight answers about benefits for our disabled daughter. Keep pushing and document everything! Sometimes different reps tell you different things.

This is a complex situation, but I can offer some clarity: 1. Your brother's benefits as a Disabled Adult Child (DAC/CIC) would typically start the month of your father's death (January 2025) since your father was already approved for SSDI but hadn't completed the 5-month waiting period. 2. There is no separate waiting period for auxiliary beneficiaries like your brother. 3. The earliest possible date would normally be January 2025 (month of death) unless there are unusual circumstances. 4. However, if your father had completed his waiting period before death, you could potentially argue for benefits back to when he first became entitled. I would recommend your mother call back and specifically ask about the earliest possible entitlement date for your brother. Be very specific and ask them to explain WHY January is the earliest possible month if that's what they claim. Also, make sure your brother's application has been properly filed as both a CIC claim during your father's lifetime AND as a surviving disabled adult child claim after his death. These are technically different benefits with different rules.

Have you tried Claimyr? I was in a similar situation with my disabled sister's benefits after our mom died and kept getting disconnected when calling SSA. Used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to a real person at SSA in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me hours of frustration and we got the benefits issue resolved in one call.

my brother is disabled 2 and we had similar problem. the ssa lady told us one thing then we called back and got different answer!!!! so confusing. we ended up getting benefits from when our dad died but nothing before that even tho he was approved for ssdi before he died.

I believe there's some confusion in the responses you're getting. Let me clarify based on SSA rules: 1. When a wage earner dies during the 5-month waiting period for SSDI, survivors don't have to serve the remainder of that waiting period. Benefits can begin the month of death. 2. For your brother as a Disabled Adult Child (DAC), benefits would typically start with the month of your father's death (January 2025). 3. There's a provision called "Deemed Filing Date" that might help in certain situations. If your father mentioned your brother's disability when he first applied in September 2024, there's a possibility this could be considered a protective filing date for your brother. 4. Request a detailed explanation in writing regarding the earliest possible entitlement date. Ask specifically about any protective filing provisions that might apply. 5. If your brother was receiving SSI, the rules for back payments get even more complex, as SSI payments may need to be repaid if retroactive SSDI is awarded. I recommend requesting a meeting with a Technical Expert at your local SSA office who specializes in disabled adult child benefits, not just speaking with the frontline representatives who may not be familiar with all the nuances.

One more important thing - if your brother was already receiving SSI (Supplemental Security Income) benefits on his own record, switching to the higher DAC benefits on your father's record will affect his Medicaid eligibility. There's a special provision called "Section 1634(c)" or the "DAC Medicaid protection" you should ask about to ensure he keeps Medicaid coverage even with the higher SSDI payment.