I receive Social Security since I was young from a chronic illness, I'm married and my wife doesn't work because I'm getting sick a lot and she takes care of me, we have a 10 year old son, can my son receive Social Security benefits for him? I was told by the Social Security local office that we couldn't .

Hi,

It sounds like both your wife and son may be technically eligible on your record, but they may not be able to actually receive payments. This is due to the method that Social Security uses to calculate maximum family benefits on disability accounts.

If the disabled individual has a limited earnings history, the family maximum payable on their account may be limited to 100% of their own benefit. In other words, there are zero benefits then available to be paid to eligible family members. For disabled individuals with more extensive earnings histories, the family maximum can be as high as 150% of the worker's benefit amount.

So, unless the Social Security representative gave you incorrect information, your son is probably technically eligible on your record, but could not be paid benefits. However, you can still file an application on his behalf in order to receive a formal determination.

Best, Jerry