Will SSI reduce automatically when my daughter with Down syndrome receives survivor benefits?
I'm really confused about my daughter's benefits situation. She's 19, has Down syndrome, and recently started receiving survivor benefits of $620 after her dad passed away. She was already on SSI before that. It's been two months now, and they're still paying her the full SSI amount ($943) along with the survivor benefits. I thought SSI would automatically reduce with the survivor income? I've called SSA probably 6 times and gotten completely different answers each time - one person said they'd adjust it automatically, another said I need to report it in person, and someone else said it could take up to 6 months to process! I'm worried we'll end up with a huge overpayment. Has anyone dealt with this? How long did it take for SSI to adjust when your family member started getting survivor benefits?
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GalacticGuru
This exact thing happened with my brother who has a disability. SSA kept paying full SSI for almost 4 months after his survivor benefits started. Then we got hit with a $3,800 overpayment notice! They don't adjust automatically despite what some reps tell you. You need to DOCUMENT everything. Call again, get the rep's name and ID number, and ask them to note in the system that you've reported the survivor benefits multiple times. Also bring printed bank statements showing both deposits to your local office if possible.
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Ravi Gupta
•Oh no, that's exactly what I'm afraid of! Did they make you pay back the full amount? I've been setting aside the extra money just in case, but it's so frustrating not knowing what's happening. I'll definitely get rep names from now on. Did you have any luck appealing the overpayment?
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Freya Pedersen
The SSA system doesn't automatically adjust SSI when other benefits start - even though they should know about it since they administer both programs! The reduction works like this: for every dollar she gets in survivor benefits, her SSI should reduce by approximately that same amount (minus the $20 general income exclusion). So with $620 in survivors, her SSI should eventually drop to about $343 ($943 - $600). But their computer systems are notoriously slow to process these changes.
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Ravi Gupta
•Thank you for explaining how the calculation works! That makes sense. So her total combined amount should be around $963 once they adjust it ($620 survivor + $343 reduced SSI). At least I can plan for that now. But I'm still worried about how long it will take them to catch up.
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Omar Fawaz
OMG this happens alllll the time! My daughter got SSDI and SSI and it took them 5 MONTHS to adjust!!! keep calling and document EVERYTHING
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Chloe Anderson
•This is actually quite common with concurrent benefits. SSI and survivors require different processing systems and different case workers, which often leads to these delays. I recommend filling out an SSA-795 (Statement of Claimant) at your local office documenting that you've attempted to report the change multiple times. This creates a paper trail that can help if they try to assess an overpayment or penalties later.
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Diego Vargas
I had the EXACT same issue with my son's benefits last year. Let me share what worked for me after weeks of frustration. I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an SSA agent in under 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU When I finally got through, I specifically asked for a "concurrent claims specialist" who handles both SSI and survivor cases. That person was able to manually flag my son's record for immediate review. The adjustment happened within 2 weeks after that call. Might be worth trying!
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Ravi Gupta
•Thank you so much for this tip! I'm going to try asking for a concurrent claims specialist - I had no idea that was even a thing. I'll check out that service too because honestly I've wasted hours on hold only to get disconnected. Did they end up assessing an overpayment for your son?
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Diego Vargas
•Yes, unfortunately they did assess an overpayment, but because I had documentation showing I reported it multiple times, they approved my waiver request. Make sure you're keeping records of every contact - dates, times, representative names if possible. That concurrent claims specialist was the only one who actually seemed to understand both programs!
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Anastasia Fedorov
just keep the extra $$ in a separate account dont spend it! they WILL want it back trust me
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StarStrider
•Yeah I second this advice. My cousin got hit with a $5700 overpayment and they started taking 10% of her monthly check until it was paid back. SSA is really slow on the administrative side but they ALWAYS catch up eventually.
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Chloe Anderson
To clarify some misinformation in this thread: When a person receives both SSI and Social Security benefits (like survivors), the adjustment should occur during the 2-month look-back period that SSI uses. In practice, this often takes longer due to administrative delays. What you should do immediately: 1. Visit your local SSA office in person with documentation of both benefits 2. Complete form SSA-8150 (Reporting Form for SSI Recipients) 3. Request a receipt showing you reported the change 4. Ask specifically for the report to be sent to the SSI processing center While the system should eventually catch this, being proactive helps establish that you fulfilled your reporting responsibility, which is important if you need to request a waiver for any overpayment.
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Ravi Gupta
•Thank you for the specific form number! I'll make an appointment at our local office this week. Is the SSA-8150 something I can download and fill out ahead of time? And should I bring anything specific to document her survivor benefits?
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Chloe Anderson
•Yes, you can download the SSA-8150 from the SSA website and complete it beforehand. Bring any award letters for both the SSI and survivor benefits, bank statements showing the deposits, and your daughter's Social Security card and ID. Also, request a signed receipt or statement confirming you reported the change - this will be crucial documentation for your records.
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GalacticGuru
Also - since your daughter has Down syndrome and is only 20, make sure they've properly coded her as DAC (Disabled Adult Child) for the survivor benefits. This affects how they treat her eligibility long-term and can protect her benefits if you're still working. Some SSA reps miss this important designation.
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Ravi Gupta
•I didn't even think about the DAC designation! I'm going to ask about this specifically when I go in. Thank you for bringing this up - there are so many technical details I'm trying to learn. Does this affect how they calculate the reduction?
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Omar Fawaz
my nieghbor said if u wait long enuff sometimes they forget the overpayment lol but i wudnt count on it!!!
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Freya Pedersen
•This is dangerous misinformation. SSA never 'forgets' overpayments - they have a dedicated department that tracks and recovers them, sometimes years later. They can recover funds through tax refund intercepts, garnishment of future benefits, and other methods. Always address overpayments directly through official channels.
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