My SSDI payment was split for me and my two children. Due to my illness, my children were living with their father. My children never received their payments and it was never returned to my allotment what can. E done to reclaim this lost money that was due to us based on my earnings? Now I am forced to live on $300 less per month because it was split but never paid to my children.

Hi. I think you must be misunderstanding how child benefits work. If a child qualifies for benefits based on a parent's Social Security record, it does not reduce the amount payable to the parent. Child benefits are auxiliary benefits, meaning that they are paid in addition to, not taken away from, the full benefit amount of the worker on whose account they are paid. Therefore, since your children's benefits could not have caused your benefit rate to be reduced, you wouldn't be due a benefit increase if your children stop collecting benefits.

If your children were under age 18 and living with their father, then Social Security would likely have appointed their father as their representative payee. Representative payees are required to use benefits for a child's current needs, or save them if there are funds left over. If you think that your children's father didn't handle their benefits appropriately, you would need to file a report with Social Security (https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10076.pdf).

Best, Jerry