Can My Disabled Adult Child Receive SSDI Benefits?

If you have a son or daughter who was either born with a disability or became disabled before reaching the age of 22, he or she may be able to receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits even without ever having worked.

SSDI benefits from your work record or from your child’s other parent’s work record may support your child receiving these benefits.

SSDI for An Adult Disabled Child

As explained by the Social Security Administration, one of the eligibility criteria for your child to receive SSDI based on a parental work history is that the parent must have worked enough to amass these benefits. The parent must either be deceased already or, if still living, currently receiving Social Security Disability benefits or Social Security retirement benefits.

Your child may eventually marry and still retain his or her SSDI benefits if marrying a person who also has a disability. Your child may hold a job while receiving SSDI so long as the income received from the employment does not exceed a designated threshold.

Qualifying for SSDI

Anyone applying for Social Security Disability benefits must meet the SSA’s definition for being disabled. This includes your adult disabled child as well. Some conditions automatically meet this definition while others may require further review by teams within the Social Security Administration prior to having benefits approved.

This information is not intended to provide legal advice but is instead meant to provide residents in Ohio with an overview of how their adult disabled child may be eligible to receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits via a parent’s work record.