Will my disabled adult child (DAC) benefit increase when my spouse dies? SS conversion confusion

I went thru this with my brother who has autism. Yes the DAC benefit will increase when ur wife passes away. It changes from 50% of her benefit to 75% of her benefit. But u DO need to notify SSA about her death!! They don't know automatically and the benefit doesnt change unless u tell them. bring the death certificate to SSA office.

You're dealing with what's called a Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefit conversion from a parent-worker benefit to a parent-survivor benefit. Here's what happens: - Your son currently receives 50% of your wife's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) as a dependent benefit - After your wife passes, he becomes eligible for 75% of her PIA as a survivor benefit - This IS NOT automatic - you must notify SSA of your wife's passing - You'll need to provide a death certificate and complete an application for survivor benefits - There should be no gap in benefits if you report promptly (within 30 days) The benefit conversion usually takes 30-60 days to process after reporting. I recommend contacting SSA the same month she passes to ensure continuous payments. I'm sorry you're facing this difficult time.

The real answer depends on if anyones ELSE is getting benefits on her record right now. There's something called the family maximum that might limit how much your son can get even after she passes. If it's just him getting benefits then yeah it goes up to 75% but if you or other kids are also on her record it might be different becuase of the family max.

So sorry about your wife. My daughter has been on DAC benefits for years and we had to update things when my husband died. Make sure you bring ORIGINAL documents, not copies. They wouldn't accept the copies I brought and I had to come back. Such a waste of time when I was already grieving!

I had SUCH a nightmare trying to get through to anyone at SSA after my mom died last year to report it and handle my sister's DAC benefits. Spent literally DAYS on hold and kept getting disconnected. Finally found a service called Claimyr that got me through to a real person at SSA in under 20 minutes. Saved me hours of frustration! You just go to claimyr.com and they connect your call to SSA. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. I was skeptical but it actually worked when nothing else did. Just a tip for when you need to make that call to report the death - those first days after are hard enough without phone frustrations.

Actually, the rules for DACs can be complicated. The amount your son will receive depends on several factors: 1. If he's receiving a DAC benefit on his mother's record (50% of her PIA), it will convert to a survivor DAC benefit (75% of her PIA) when she passes away. 2. However, this assumes your son isn't receiving any other benefits. If he's receiving SSI, there could be an offset. 3. You mentioned you're also retired. If your own benefit is significantly higher than 75% of your wife's benefit, SSA might examine whether your son should receive a DAC benefit on YOUR record instead, as this could potentially be more beneficial long-term. 4. There's also what's called the RIB/LIM guarantee for DACs, which can be complex but sometimes results in a higher payment than the standard 75%. I recommend scheduling a formal appointment with a Technical Expert at SSA (not just a Claims Representative) to go through these calculations. This is too important to leave to chance or general advice.

I went through this exact situation last year. Few important things I learned: 1. There's usually a one-time death payment of $255 you can apply for 2. The conversion from 50% to 75% is correct but takes time to process 3. SSA won't backdate payments to death date automatically - you need to specifically request this 4. If your son receives Medicare through his DAC benefit, nothing changes with that coverage 5. Make sure ALL your son's information is updated in the system (address, direct deposit, etc) when you report the death Don't wait until after she passes - gather all documents now (birth certificates, marriage certificate, your son's medical records proving disability, etc). Being prepared helps tremendously.

oh also some funeral homes will report the death to social security for u! ask them if they do this service when the time comes. but u still need to go to SSA yourself for the benefits stuff.