Parents have a responsibility to provide for their children’s needs in California. However, there are situations in which parents may not be able to do that due to circumstances beyond their control. One of those situations is if they are injured or disabled in some way. This can prevent them from working and being able to provide for themselves and their families.
People with long-term disabilities may qualify for Social Security Disability benefits (SSDI). These benefits provide monetary benefits to help those who are unable to work. However, these benefits are designed to help the injured people and may not be enough to provide for the children of the parents receiving SSDI.
Eligibility requirements for children’s benefits
It is important to know that the children of parents receiving SSDI may also be able to receive benefits of their own based on the parents’ disability. To be eligible, the children must be:
- Biological children or under certain circumstances, stepchildren, adopted children or step-grandchildren.
- The children must be under the age of 18 or between 18 and 19 years old as long as they are full-time high school students
- Children who are older than 18 may also be able to receive benefits if they are disabled themselves and the disability began before they turned 22 years old.
Children of parents receiving SSDI can receive up to 50% of their parents’ disability benefit. However, there is a limit per family, which is 150% to 180% of the disabled parents’ benefit. If the family’s benefits exceed that limit, each child’s benefit would be proportionally reduced until they are below the family limit.
It is not easy to care for and provide for children when people are disabled in the San Diego area. That is why it is important that parents receiving SSDI apply for benefits for their children to ensure they are being cared for as well.
The application process can be complicated and time-consuming, but it is worth it to ensure children are cared for in the end. Experienced attorneys understand how important these benefits are for families and may be able to guide one through the process.