Will starting SS survivor benefits affect my disabled son's benefits? Confused about coordinating our claims

Your son's benefits shouldn't change when you start collecting survivor benefits. Adult disabled children can receive benefits from either parent's record (usually whichever provides higher benefits), but since your late husband likely had a stronger earnings record than yours, your son would continue receiving benefits on his father's record. When you switch to your own retirement benefits at 70, there should still be no effect on your son's payments, as he's already established on his father's record. The system treats these as separate entitlements. One thing to double-check: make sure your son's disability onset was established before age 22 in the SSA system. This is what qualifies him as a disabled adult child for benefit purposes.

Just to add to this, I actually was in a similiar situation last year. My adult daughter (disabled) was getting survivor benefits from her dad and I started my retirement. Nothing happened to her benefits, stayed exactly the same amount. So your probably ok but I would check with SSA to make sure.

MAKE SURE you ask specifically about the family maximum when you talk to them!!! When I started benefits it affected my disabled son's amount because of the family maximum limit. They NEVER mentioned this to me beforehand and we had to scramble when his payment suddenly dropped by $320. Don't trust what anyone tells you until you get it in writing!!!

I've helped several clients through this exact situation. Here's what you need to know: 1. Your son's benefits as a Disabled Adult Child (DAC) on his father's record will continue unchanged when you take survivor benefits. 2. The family maximum does apply when both you and your son receive benefits on your husband's record, but since there are only two of you, it's unlikely to reduce benefits unless your husband's PIA was relatively low. 3. When you switch to your own retirement benefits at 70, your son will remain on his father's record if that provides higher benefits (which is likely). 4. There is NO automatic switching - you must apply for your retirement benefits when you turn 70. The survivor benefits don't automatically convert. 5. Make sure SSA has properly coded your son with the "disabled before 22" designation in their system.

I wasted WEEKS trying to get answers about my disabled daughter's benefits. Calling SSA is impossible - busy signals, disconnects, or being on hold for hours. I finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual SSA agent in under 20 minutes! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was so much easier than the constant frustration of calling myself. The agent I spoke with answered all my coordination questions and even scheduled me an in-person appointment to finalize everything. Totally worth it for peace of mind.

I think ur overthinking this. Benefits r separate. Your son gets his money and you get yours. My cousin has a disabled kid and it worked fine when she retired. But call SSA to make sure.

One additional point that hasn't been mentioned: make sure your son is receiving SSDI as a Disabled Adult Child (DAC) and not SSI. They're completely different programs with different rules. If he's receiving DAC benefits as a survivor, those continue even after you start benefits. If he's on SSI (needs-based), your household income could potentially affect his eligibility.

One thing to consider - when you take your retirement at 70, if your benefit amount would be higher than what your son gets from his dad's record, he might be eligible to switch to your record. My neighbor's disabled daughter got a $230 raise when she switched to her mom's record after mom retired with a higher benefit amount. Might be worth asking SSA about!

Thank you everyone for all the helpful responses! I've learned so much: 1. My son's benefits should continue unchanged on his father's record 2. Need to double-check about the family maximum limit 3. Must remember to apply for my own benefits at 70 (not automatic) 4. Will try Claimyr to actually reach someone at SSA 5. Should compare benefit amounts when I turn 70 to see if my record would give him more I feel much more prepared now to make these decisions. I'll update this thread once I talk to SSA if I learn anything else that might help others!

Great summary, Caleb! One additional tip from my experience: when you do reach SSA (whether through Claimyr or otherwise), ask them to run a "what if" scenario calculation showing exactly what would happen to both your and your son's benefits at each step. This way you'll have concrete numbers rather than general guidance. Also, consider getting the representative's name and reference number for your call - it makes follow-up much easier if issues arise later. Good luck with everything!

As someone who went through a similar situation with my disabled brother, I want to emphasize how important it is to get everything documented in writing from SSA. When my mother started her survivor benefits, we were told verbally that my brother's DAC benefits wouldn't be affected, but then we received a notice 3 months later about a "recalculation" that reduced his payment by $180/month due to the family maximum. It took 6 months and multiple appeals to get it straightened out - turns out the first agent made an error in how they applied the family maximum calculation. The lesson: don't just rely on phone conversations. Ask for written confirmation of any benefit calculations or changes, and keep detailed records of every interaction including dates, agent names, and what was discussed. Also, consider requesting a benefit verification letter for your son before you make any changes to your own benefits. This creates a paper trail showing his current benefit amount and basis, which can be helpful if there are any processing errors later.

I went through this exact situation with my disabled daughter two years ago! She was receiving DAC survivor benefits from her father who passed when she was 19. When I started my survivor benefits at 66, her payments stayed exactly the same - $1,640/month. The key thing is that your son is already established on his father's record as a disabled adult child, and that relationship doesn't change when you start collecting. The SSA rep I spoke with explained it like this: your son has his own "claim" on his father's work record that's separate from your survivor claim on the same record. When I switched to my own retirement benefits at 70, we actually got a pleasant surprise - my benefit was high enough that my daughter could switch to my record and get an extra $85/month! SSA handled the switch automatically and sent us a letter explaining the change. One tip: when you do talk to SSA, ask them to check if your son's disability onset date is correctly entered in their system. Sometimes there are data entry errors that can cause problems later. Also, keep copies of everything - benefit statements, letters, etc. It saved me a lot of headaches when I had questions later.

I'm in a very similar situation and this thread has been incredibly helpful! My disabled son (32) has been getting DAC survivor benefits from his father's record for about 5 years now. I'm 64 and have been delaying my own Social Security decisions because I was terrified of accidentally disrupting his benefits. Reading through everyone's experiences, especially @Adriana Cohn's story about the automatic switch to the higher benefit, gives me so much hope. My late husband was a high earner, but I also had a decent career, so there's a chance my son might benefit from my record when I switch at 70. One question I haven't seen addressed: Has anyone dealt with Medicare coordination in this situation? My son is on Medicare due to his disability, and I'm wondering if there are any changes or considerations when the parent starts collecting benefits. I know Medicare and Social Security are separate, but sometimes changes in one can affect the other. Also, thank you @CosmicVoyager for the advice about getting everything documented. After reading about your 6-month appeal process, I'm definitely going to be extra careful about getting written confirmation of everything before making any moves.