Social Security DAC benefits timing confusion - apply for my retirement with husband or wait for CIC?

I went through a similar situation last year. From my experience, you should WAIT to file for your own retirement. Apply for CIC benefits after your son gets approved for DAC. If you file for your retirement now, you'll be stuck with the reduced amount permanently. The SSA office was very clear about this when I called them about my daughter's DAC application. The phone rep explained that filing for retirement first would prevent me from getting the full spousal benefit later.

my son got DAC benifits last year. took FOREVER!!! almost 6 months to get approved. the ssa people kept losing our paperwork and we had to send things twice. make sure u keep copies of EVERYTHING

There's a specific order you should follow for maximum benefits: 1. Your husband files for retirement first 2. Then apply for DAC benefits for your son 3. Only after DAC approval, apply for CIC spousal benefits DO NOT file for your own retirement at 63 if you can get CIC benefits. CIC benefits don't have the early filing reduction that your retirement would have. Plus, by waiting to claim your own retirement until later (ideally FRA or age 70), you'll get a much higher monthly benefit for life. The CIC benefit would be 50% of your husband's PIA while caring for your disabled adult son. This gives your own retirement benefit time to grow.

I'm confused about how this all works. I thought if your filing for retirement then your kid gets half ur check? So wouldn't the husband's retirement automatically mean benefits for the disabled son? Why is there a separate application? And what's a DAC vs CIC?

I managed my brother's DAC application when our father retired, and it was SUCH a hassle reaching actual agents at Social Security to answer our questions. We were disconnected multiple times after waiting hours. My sister finally recommended Claimyr (claimyr.com), which got us connected to a live SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. It made a huge difference in getting the application issues resolved, especially when we needed to submit additional medical documentation for the DAC claim.

my experience was totally different from what others are saying here... when my wife retired I applied for my benefits right away (I'm younger than her) and it worked out fine. I think everyone's situation is different so you should just go to your local office and talk to someone.

i forgot to say that u need to bring ALL medical records for your son when u apply. like everything from when he was diagnosed before 22. my husband had to dig up old records from 25 years ago for our son!!

To answer your question about how long our DAC application took - it was about 4 months total. But what really helped speed things up was having an appointment at our local SSA office rather than just trying to do everything by phone or online. The SSA worker at our in-person appointment was able to look at our documentation right there and tell us what else we needed. I'd recommend scheduling an appointment for your husband's retirement application and bringing all your son's documentation with you at the same time to discuss the DAC application process while you're there.

One more important point: Make sure your husband understands that by filing for his retirement, he's potentially triggering several benefits (his retirement, your son's DAC, and your CIC). He should consider whether filing at his current age maximizes your family's total benefits. Sometimes it's better for the higher-earning spouse to delay filing until 70 to maximize survivor benefits later, but with a disabled adult child in the picture, filing earlier could make sense to get DAC benefits started. This is why many families in your situation consult with a financial advisor who specializes in Social Security planning for special needs situations.

Since your husband is already 68 and past his FRA, that changes things significantly! You're making the right call having him file now rather than waiting until 70, especially with your son's DAC benefits in the picture. Based on what everyone else has shared here, it sounds like your strategy should be: 1) Husband files for retirement next month, 2) Submit your son's DAC application immediately after (bring ALL medical records from before age 22), 3) Once DAC is approved, then you apply for CIC benefits. The CIC route will likely give you a better monthly benefit than taking your own retirement at 63 with the early filing reduction. I'd definitely recommend getting that in-person SSA appointment like Hannah suggested - it really does make the process smoother when dealing with multiple applications. Good luck with everything!

Just wanted to add one more thing to consider - make sure you understand the family maximum benefit rules! When multiple family members are collecting on the same record (your husband's retirement, your son's DAC, and potentially your CIC), there's a cap on the total amount that can be paid out. The family maximum is typically 150-180% of the primary insurance amount, so if you're close to that limit, it might affect how much each person receives. This is another reason why talking to someone at SSA in person is so valuable - they can calculate the exact amounts for your specific situation. Also, keep in mind that your son's DAC benefits will continue even after your husband passes away, which is a huge long-term benefit for your family's financial security.

I'm in a similar situation with my disabled daughter and want to share what I learned from our experience. The timing advice everyone's giving is spot on - definitely wait to file for your own retirement until after you explore the CIC option. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier is to start gathering your son's medical documentation NOW, even before your husband files. The DAC application requires extensive proof of disability onset before age 22, and it can take weeks to get records from old doctors' offices or hospitals. Also, consider requesting your son's school records (IEP documents, etc.) as they can be strong supporting evidence. The SSA looks at the "totality of evidence" so having multiple sources helps. Since your husband is already 68, you're in a good position timing-wise. Just make sure when you do that in-person appointment that you bring a comprehensive list of questions about the family maximum calculations and how the CIC benefits would work with your specific numbers. The peace of mind of getting everything set up correctly is worth the extra preparation time!

I went through this exact situation with my disabled adult son two years ago when my husband filed for retirement at 67. The advice about waiting to file for your own retirement and going the CIC route instead is absolutely correct - it saved us thousands of dollars over what I would have gotten with early retirement at 63. One thing I want to emphasize that others have touched on but is really crucial: start the DAC application process IMMEDIATELY after your husband files, don't wait. The SSA processing times can be unpredictable, and you want your son's benefits to start as soon as possible. Also, when you do apply for CIC benefits later, make sure to ask for retroactive payments back to when your son's DAC was approved - sometimes they don't automatically calculate this correctly. The whole process took about 5 months for us from start to finish, but having everything lined up properly made such a difference in our monthly income. Your financial advisor was smart to recommend this approach given your husband's age and your son's situation.

I'm a newcomer here but this thread has been incredibly informative! I'm in a somewhat similar situation with my disabled brother (he's 28, disabled since birth) and my parents are approaching retirement age. Reading through everyone's experiences has really opened my eyes to how complex the DAC and CIC benefit interactions can be. The advice about gathering medical documentation early really resonates - we've moved several times over the years and I'm realizing we probably need to start tracking down old records from different states. One question for those who've been through this: did you find that having a disability attorney or advocate helped with the DAC application process, or were you able to navigate it successfully on your own with the SSA? I'm trying to figure out if it's worth the expense to hire professional help or if the in-person SSA appointments that Hannah and others mentioned are sufficient. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences - it's making me feel much more prepared for what we'll need to do when the time comes!

Welcome to the community! As someone who's been through a similar process with my disabled adult daughter, I wanted to add a few practical tips that might help. First, when you're gathering those old medical records, don't forget to check with early intervention programs or developmental services your son may have received - these can provide excellent documentation of disability onset before age 22. Second, I'd recommend creating a simple timeline document with your son's key medical milestones, treatments, and diagnoses with dates. This helped us immensely during the DAC interview process. Third, when your husband goes to file his retirement, ask the SSA worker to flag your son's upcoming DAC application in their system - sometimes this helps with processing coordination. The strategy everyone's outlined here is spot-on: husband files, immediately apply for DAC, then you apply for CIC once DAC is approved. The waiting is hard, but the financial benefit of getting CIC instead of reduced retirement at 63 will be substantial over your lifetime. One last tip - if you end up needing to call SSA multiple times during the process, try calling first thing in the morning (8 AM) when their phone queues are typically shorter. Good luck with everything!

Welcome to this community! I'm new here but have been reading through this incredibly detailed thread about DAC and CIC benefits. I'm not dealing with this exact situation yet, but my younger sister has developmental disabilities and will likely need DAC benefits when our parents retire in a few years. The level of detail everyone has shared about documentation requirements, timing strategies, and real processing timelines is invaluable. I had no idea about the family maximum benefit caps or the importance of the application sequence to maximize benefits. The practical tips about gathering 30-year-old medical records, creating timeline documents, and even the best times to call SSA are exactly the kind of information you can't find in the official government resources. Thank you all for being so generous with sharing your experiences - it's giving families like mine a roadmap for navigating what seems like an incredibly complex process. I'm already starting to think about organizing my sister's documentation even though we're still a few years out from needing it.

Welcome to everyone who's new to this discussion! This thread has become an incredible resource for families navigating DAC and CIC benefits. As someone who's been helping families with special needs planning for several years, I wanted to add a few additional considerations that might be helpful. First, don't forget that your son's DAC benefits will also make him eligible for Medicare after 24 months of receiving disability benefits, which can be a huge help with medical costs. Second, consider setting up an ABLE account for your son if you haven't already - DAC benefits won't affect ABLE account eligibility, and it's a great way to save for disability-related expenses without affecting his benefit status. Third, when you're doing your long-term financial planning, remember that DAC benefits have annual cost-of-living adjustments just like regular Social Security benefits. The strategy everyone has outlined here (husband files, DAC application immediately, then CIC benefits for you) is absolutely the right approach given your ages and circumstances. The documentation tips about gathering everything early are spot-on - I've seen families struggle when they try to track down decades-old records under time pressure. You're asking all the right questions and getting excellent advice from this community!

Welcome to this incredibly informative discussion! I'm new to this community and have been following along as someone whose elderly mother is considering retirement while we have a disabled adult sibling situation. The depth of knowledge shared here about the strategic timing between retirement filing, DAC applications, and CIC benefits is amazing. I particularly appreciated the advice about starting documentation gathering early - my brother has been disabled since childhood and I'm realizing we need to start organizing decades of medical records now rather than scrambling later. The real-world timelines people have shared (4-6 months for DAC approval) and practical tips like calling SSA first thing in the morning are exactly what you can't find in the official resources. One question for those who've navigated this: did you find that having multiple family members' applications in the system at once (retirement + DAC + eventually CIC) caused any coordination issues or delays with SSA, or did they handle the sequential processing smoothly? Thank you all for creating such a valuable resource for families dealing with these complex benefit interactions!

Welcome to everyone who's joined this discussion! As someone who's been through a similar situation with my disabled adult daughter, I wanted to add one more piece of advice that hasn't been mentioned yet. When you're preparing for your in-person SSA appointment, bring a comprehensive list of ALL your son's current medications, treatments, and healthcare providers. The SSA worker will likely ask about his current level of care and daily living needs to verify that you qualify for CIC benefits. They need to confirm that you're actually providing care for him, not just that he receives DAC benefits. Also, if your son receives any state disability services or has a case worker, bring documentation of that relationship too. It helps establish the ongoing nature of his disability and your caregiving role. The good news is that since autism is typically a lifelong condition with clear documentation from childhood, your son's case should be relatively straightforward compared to other disability determinations. Just make sure you can demonstrate both the disability onset before age 22 AND your current caregiving role for the CIC eligibility. This whole thread has been such a great resource - I wish I'd had this kind of detailed guidance when we were navigating our applications!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful for this comprehensive thread! Reading through everyone's experiences has been so educational. I'm in a somewhat different situation - my disabled adult son is 29 and I'm a single parent approaching retirement age. While I don't have the CIC spousal benefit option like the original poster, the advice about DAC application timing and documentation requirements is invaluable for my situation too. The tips about gathering 25+ year old medical records early, creating timeline documents, and working with the same SSA office throughout the process are exactly what I needed to hear. I'm particularly interested in the family maximum benefit discussion since it would just be my retirement and my son's DAC benefits on my record. Does anyone know if the family maximum typically becomes an issue with just those two benefits, or is it mainly a concern when there are multiple family members drawing benefits? Also, for those who mentioned ABLE accounts - is there a good resource for learning more about how those work alongside DAC benefits? Thank you all for sharing such detailed, real-world guidance!