For more than two decades we have helped individuals across Kentucky get SSD benefits. We have the legal skills and experience to handle the paperwork and aggressively fight for your rights.
If you are disabled and receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, do not overlook benefits your dependent children or grandchildren may be eligible to receive. Each qualifying child may receive a monthly payment for up to half of your monthly benefit.
Kentucky is among the states with the highest rates of disabled beneficiaries, representing 8.2 percent of the state population, according to the latest annual report of the SSDI program. Like other SSDI programs, you must meet certain restrictions for your children to obtain this benefit. You must have worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes into the system for you and your children to qualify. Consulting a Kentucky disability benefits lawyer may make the process go more smoothly for you and your family.
Social Security Benefits for Your Dependent Children
The Social Security system is designed to care for children in need of financial assistance as well as for adults who are disabled or retired. About 4.4 million children receive approximately $2.5 billion each month because one or both of their parents are disabled, retired or deceased.
Dependent children who may be eligible for benefits because one or both parents are disabled include natural children, adopted children, and stepchildren or dependent grandchildren (including step grandchildren).
Note that this is different from Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for disabled children, or the disabled adult child (DAC) benefit, which is for your minor-age children who qualify due to the financial burdens of your disability.
A child whose parent(s) is/are disabled is entitled to Social Security benefits if the child is:
- Unmarried;
- Younger than age 18;
- 18-19 years old and a full-time high school student; The benefits continue until two months the student graduates or two months after their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first; and
- 18 or older and disabled, with the disability having started before age 22.
Each qualifying child within your family may receive up to one-half of your full disability benefit. However, there is a limit to the amount of money that can be paid to a family as a whole.
The family maximum payment is determined as part of every Social Security benefit computation and can be from 150 to 180 percent of the parent’s full benefit amount. If the total amount payable to all family members exceeds this limit, each person’s benefit is reduced proportionately (except the parent’s) until the total equals the maximum allowable amount.
The benefit paid for a dependent child may also be reduced because of income the child earns, though the annual amount affecting a child’s benefits is substantially more than most underage children make.
When you apply for benefits for your child, the Social Security Administration (SSA) advises that you will need the child’s birth certificate and the parent’s and child’s Social Security number. The SSA also helpfully adds that other documents may be required.
These may include:
- Your proof of marriage if you are or were married to the worker;
- Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status if you were not born in the United States;
- U.S. military discharge paper(s); and
- W-2 forms(s) and/or self-employment tax returns for last year.
You may also be required to provide your Adult Disability Report, though of course the SSA has this information.
Experienced Help With Your SSD Child Benefits Application
There are many reasons your application for SSD benefits for your dependent children may be wrongly denied or delayed. Misreadings and misunderstandings of claims are commonplace. Unfortunately, it is likely that a SSA representative fielding questions may steadfastly suggest that you are seeking benefits for a disabled child. Mistakes or inconsistencies in information you provide to the SSA can also delay your claim or cause it to be rejected.
A SSD attorney can deal with the SSA bureaucracy for you and ensure your SSD child benefit application is correct and processed correctly.
If your benefits application has already been denied, we can help you appeal. There is a deadline you must meet for filing an appeal or your appeal may be barred, so you should contact us for assistance right away.
Our Kentucky disability benefits attorneys have the experience required to navigate the SSDI application and appeals process to ensure you receive the full benefit your family deserves.
Contact a Kentucky SSD Child Benefits Attorney
The disability benefits lawyers at the Frank Jenkins Law Office have helped disabled workers in Lexington and across Kentucky obtain regular disability insurance benefits and other disability benefits that their families deserve for 20 years.
Contact a knowledgeable disability benefits attorney at the Frank Jenkins Law Office for an initial consultation. Phone us toll free at 859-389-9344 or use our online contact form today. If we can pursue your claim, we will work on a contingency-fee basis. We only seek payment if we obtain benefits for you.
