Social Security DAC vs SSI transition - confused about parent support documentation form

When my son switched from SSI to DAC benefits last year, we received Form SSA-8240 (Parent-to-Child Support Statement) about a week after the phone interview. The agent asked us similar questions during the call, but we still had to complete the actual form with supporting documentation. Based on my experience, I'd wait one more week before taking action. If nothing arrives by then, I'd call or visit the local office with documentation ready. The form basically needs proof that your wife provides over 50% of your daughter's support, so gather things like household bills, food costs, medical expenses, etc. Definitely make copies of everything since SSA sometimes loses things. The transition was worth it for us - my son's benefit increased by about $600/month going from SSI to DAC!

just went thru this with my disabled sister!!! the form is SSA-8240 like the other person said. they WILL mail it, but the questions on the phone are basically the same. my advice - START GATHERING ALL RECEPTS NOW. they want everything - rent, utilities, food, medical, clothing, transportation. Even Internet & phone if your providing that. They are SUPER picky about proving the over half support rule.

I'm actually going through this exact process with my son right now. Here's what's happening: SSA does a preliminary assessment during the phone interview, but they WILL send you the SSA-8240 form. The agent was asking those questions to pre-screen and make sure your daughter likely qualifies before sending the paperwork. Important tip - when you receive the form, make sure you're very specific about separating household expenses. If your household has 4 people but your daughter is one, they'll attribute only 1/4 of the household expenses toward her support. Make a spreadsheet breaking down exactly how much of each bill/expense is specifically for your daughter. The determination can take 2-3 months after submitting the form, so patience is key. DAC benefits are significantly better than SSI (higher payment, no asset limits, and Medicare instead of Medicaid after 24 months), so it's worth the hassle.

The whole DAC process is MADDENING!! We waited 6 weeks for our form and had to call MULTIPLE TIMES to get anyone to tell us what was happening. SSA is so understaffed it's RIDICULOUS. Our interview was great but then complete silence afterwards. I finally got through after waiting on hold for HOURS and turns out they had "forgotten" to send the form!!! START CALLING THEM NOW don't assume anything is happening behind the scenes!!!

Social Security eligibility technician here. The process you're describing is standard for DAC claims. During the initial interview, the claims specialist will ask preliminary questions about support to determine if your child is likely to meet the "one-half support" rule. This is followed by mailing the SSA-8240 form for official documentation. A few important points about the DAC process: 1. The SSA-8240 form should arrive within 7-10 business days 2. You'll need to document ALL support provided (housing, food, utilities, clothing, medical, etc.) 3. Your daughter must have become disabled before age 22 4. The parent must be either receiving Social Security retirement/disability benefits OR be deceased 5. For the support calculation, you need to show that contributions exceed what your daughter provides for herself through any income If you don't receive the form within two weeks, contact the local office. The processing time is currently averaging 90-120 days after all documentation is received. And yes, the benefit is usually substantially higher than SSI, without the strict resource limits.

I tried calling my local SS office for WEEKS about my husband's disability application and never got through. Then I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual SSA agent in 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. Might be worth trying if you need to follow up about the missing form and can't get through on the regular line. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration!

my daughter got DAC 2 years ago but we never got any form? they just asked questions on phone then approved her. weird.

btw one more thing - make sure your keeping your daughters Medicare vs Medicaid situation in mind. When my sis switched to DAC she lost her Medicaid after a few months!!! Had to apply for a Medicare Savings Program thru our state to help with the costs. SSA doest tell u about this part!!!!

This is such valuable information about the Medicare/Medicaid transition! I hadn't even thought about that aspect. Can you tell me more about the Medicare Savings Program? Is this something we should apply for proactively, or wait to see what happens with her coverage first? My daughter currently has pretty good Medicaid coverage and I'm worried about any gaps or increased costs when she switches to Medicare after the 24-month period.

I'm going through something very similar with my adult son right now! We had our phone interview about 3 weeks ago and I was also confused about whether that verbal discussion was the "form" they mentioned. Like others have said, we did receive the SSA-8240 form in the mail about 10 days after the interview. One thing I wish I had known earlier - start organizing your documentation by category right now while you wait for the form. I created separate folders for housing costs, utilities, food expenses, medical costs, clothing, and transportation. Having everything sorted made filling out the form much easier when it arrived. Also, keep detailed records of any cash you spend on your daughter's behalf, even small things like toiletries or snacks. They really do want to see the complete picture of support. The agent told us that many applications get delayed because families underestimate how much documentation they need to provide. The waiting is stressful but it sounds like you're on the right track. The benefit increase will definitely be worth it once everything goes through!

I'm currently helping my adult daughter navigate this exact same process! We had our phone interview last month and I was also confused about whether the verbal questions constituted the "form" they mentioned. Like others have shared, we did receive the SSA-8240 form about 8 days after our interview. One tip that really helped us - when gathering documentation, I created a simple spreadsheet listing each expense category and the monthly amounts. This made it much easier to fill out the actual form when it arrived. Also, don't forget to include things like health insurance premiums if you're covering your daughter under your plan, and any therapy or medical appointments you pay for or transport her to. The phone interview questions were essentially a preview of what's on the written form, so if you answered those confidently, you should be in good shape. The agent was probably doing a preliminary assessment to make sure your daughter meets the basic criteria before sending the paperwork. I'd give it another week before calling, but definitely start compiling all your receipts and documentation now. The sooner you can return that form with complete documentation, the faster the processing will go. Good luck with everything!

I'm new to this community but going through the exact same situation with my 26-year-old son! We had our phone interview about 10 days ago and I was also confused about whether that counted as the "form" they mentioned. Reading through all these responses is incredibly helpful - it sounds like the phone interview is just a preliminary screening and we should definitely expect to receive the actual SSA-8240 form in the mail. I'm taking everyone's advice and starting to organize all our documentation now. The tip about creating separate folders for each expense category is genius! I've already started gathering receipts for housing, utilities, food, medical expenses, and transportation costs. One question I have - for those who have been through this process, did SSA require original receipts or were copies acceptable? Also, did anyone use bank statements to show regular payments for things like utilities and groceries, or did they specifically want individual receipts? This transition from SSI to DAC benefits seems like it will be life-changing for our kids once it goes through. The higher benefit amount and removal of asset limits will give my son so much more independence. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences - it's making this confusing process much clearer!

I just wanted to add another perspective as someone who completed this process about 18 months ago with my adult daughter. The SSA-8240 form will definitely arrive - the phone interview is just their way of doing a preliminary screening to make sure it's worth sending the paperwork. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is to be very careful about how you calculate "fair market value" for housing. SSA doesn't just look at your actual mortgage/rent payment - they want to know what it would cost your daughter to rent a similar room elsewhere in your area. I had to research local rental prices for a furnished room to provide that comparison. Also, keep in mind that any income your daughter receives (even small amounts from part-time work) gets subtracted from the support you're providing. So if she earns $200/month from a job, you need to show that you're still providing more than half her support AFTER accounting for her contribution. The whole process took about 4 months from start to finish for us, but the retroactive payments made up for the wait. My daughter's monthly benefit went from $914 SSI to $1,847 DAC - absolutely life changing! Hang in there, the paperwork hassle is definitely worth it.

I'm currently going through this exact process with my 25-year-old daughter and wanted to share what I've learned so far! We had our phone interview two weeks ago and I had the same confusion about whether that verbal discussion was the "form" they mentioned. The good news is that the SSA-8240 form did arrive in the mail exactly 9 days after our interview, so you should be receiving yours very soon. The phone questions were definitely just a preliminary screening - the actual form is much more detailed and requires supporting documentation for everything. One thing that's been really helpful is keeping a daily log of expenses as I gather documentation. I write down everything - even small things like picking up her prescription or buying her lunch when we're out. These little expenses really add up and help paint the complete picture of support you're providing. Also, make sure you have documentation for any services you provide that have monetary value - like if you do her laundry, clean her room, or drive her to appointments. SSA considers the value of these services as part of your support contribution. The waiting is definitely stressful, but everyone I've talked to says the DAC benefit increase makes it all worthwhile. You're doing great by being proactive about gathering documentation now!

I'm in the exact same situation with my 29-year-old son! We had our phone interview about a week and a half ago and I was also confused about whether the verbal questions counted as the "form" they mentioned. Reading everyone's responses has been so reassuring - it sounds like we're all in that normal waiting period for the SSA-8240 form to arrive. I've started organizing our documentation based on all the great advice here. One thing I'm wondering about - has anyone dealt with calculating support when your adult child receives some benefits but also has significant medical expenses? My son gets a small SSI payment but we cover all his medical costs, transportation to appointments, and most of his daily living expenses. I want to make sure I'm calculating the "over half support" requirement correctly when he does have some income coming in. Also, for those who've completed this process, did you find that SSA was pretty reasonable about accepting bank statements and credit card records for expenses, or did they really want individual receipts for everything? I'm trying to balance being thorough with not overwhelming them with paperwork. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - this community has been incredibly helpful in understanding what to expect!