My 17 year old Handicapped child is receiving SSDI because his 62 year old father is on Disability. When my son turns 18 will he be able to continue against his father (which is higher amount) or will he have to begin his own claim. Thank You

Hi,

Just to clarify, Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits are only payable to people who qualify based on their own work and earnings history. I assume that what your son receives are child's benefits based on his father's work and earnings. Those benefits can continue indefinitely regardless of your son's age, provided that he has been determined to meet Social Security's requirements for being considered disabled. Such benefits are called disabled adult child's (DAC) benefits.

The earliest that a child can qualify for DAC benefits is at age 18, so your son must currently be collecting regular child's benefits rather than DAC benefits. Unless Social Security has already determined that your son meets their disability standards, you will need to file a claim for DAC benefits in order to allow your son's benefits to convert from child's benefits to DAC benefits at age 18. It sounds like you should contact Social Security to clarify what you'll need to do to establish that your son meets the requirements for DAC benefits.

Best, Jerry