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Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits are a specific kind of financial assistance available through Social Security.
They’re for adults who cannot work because of health problems, may not ever have been able to work much thanks to medical issues that started early, and have parents who worked and paid into Social Security enough to be eligible.
DAC benefits work differently from the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits that most adults receive when they can’t work due to bad health.
Applicants still need to meet the health standards for recipients of other Social Security Disability benefits, like not being able to work and having a severely limiting health condition that’s going to last 12 months or more, but there are additional requirements for DAC benefits recipients.
This can be confusing, and applying for any kind of disability benefits is difficult. The Binghamton disability lawyers of Lachman & Gorton Law Office are highly familiar with this system and can walk you through it.
If you’ve been denied benefits, appealing on your own is tough. We can support you at every stage of the appeal process, including asking for a reconsideration and going to your disability hearing.
Lachman & Gorton has been helping people like you for more than 40 years. If you have any confusion about Social Security Disability or your qualifications for DAC benefits, talk to us.
You pay no fee to work with a disability attorney until you win benefits.
If you want to qualify for disability benefits under Disabled Adult Child rules, you need to meet more than the normal requirements for Social Security Disability.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) will also want to see that:
Qualifying conditions include a variety of physical, developmental and mental health conditions. If you meet these standards, you could be eligible to receive Disabled Adult Child benefits.
If you think that you should qualify for DAC benefits and got denied, don’t wait to appeal. You have 60 days to keep your claim alive.
Start with a FREE disability appeal consultation.
Even if you think it’s clear that you should qualify for Disabled Adult Child benefits, Social Security doesn’t make it easy to get the financial help that you need.
A claims examiner won’t just take your word about your health problems. You need evidence, and the more of it you have to support your disability claim the better.
Some items that can help include:
These can all help establish that a medical condition existed when you were young, it still continues to affect you to this day, and that your parent paid enough into Social Security for you to be covered.
Whether you’re applying for DAC benefits for yourself or you’re helping a loved one, you don’t have to face this intimidating process on your own.
The formula for determining what an applicant receives in DAC benefits depends on how much their parents made while they were working.
To keep this simple, Social Security looks at the parent’s work history, analyzes their earnings, and determines their Primary Insurance Amount, or PIA. This is how much they would receive in Social Security benefits themselves.
Then the recipient of Disabled Adult Child benefits receives 50% of that if the parent is still alive and receiving retirement or disability benefits, or 75% if the parent has died.
A person receiving DAC benefits can also qualify for Medicare after a two-year waiting period.
Best of all, this won’t affect a surviving parent’s Social Security benefits.
Some people wonder, “Do DAC benefits pay more than Supplemental Security Income?”
It depends on the details of your situation. Even if someone already qualifies for SSI, it can be worthwhile to see if DAC benefits could provide more each month.
When you speak to Lachman & Gorton about your situation, we’ll do everything that we can to help you maximize your benefits.
Getting approved for any kind of Social Security Disability benefit is tough. Even families that think they’ve done everything right can still get denied.
You shouldn’t just give up if your DAC benefits claim gets rejected. Most people get denied the first time they apply for Social Security Disability.
Appealing a decision to the SSA can be a lot of work, but our Upstate NY disability lawyers can support you throughout the entire appeals process.
Your attorney can:
When Lachman & Gorton Law Office helps with your claim, you know you’re working with an actual disability lawyer who cares about your case and getting you the benefits you need for a more stable, secure life.
Our disability lawyers serving Binghamton, Elmira, Oneonta, Rochester and communities across Upstate New York will take a closer look at your Disabled Adult Child claim and determine the best way to present your case and increase your chances of winning disability benefits on appeal.