SSDI for Adults Disabled Before Age 22

Disabled children under the age of 18 are the most common candidates to receive social security disability benefits (SSDI) for children. Adults disabled before age 22, however, can also be eligible for these benefits if they have a deceased parent, or if their parent starts receiving retirement or disability benefits. This is considered under the SSDI for children because it will be paid on the parent’s Social Security earnings record. Therefore, even if the child has never worked, he/she will still be qualified to receive benefits. 

The Social Security Administration (SSA) calls these beneficiaries “adult children”. An adult child doesn’t necessarily have to be a biological child of the parent. He could be an adopted child and in some cases, a stepchild, grandchild or step grandchild. The adult child must be aged 18 or older and unmarried. If the adult child marries, the benefits are going to end. However, some marriages can be considered protected. For instance, if an adult child marries another adult disabled child, he will continue to receive benefits.

The SSA will only consider disability that started before the age of 22. The agency takes a closer look at an adult child’s disability under the same rules used for evaluation of adult disability. 

These are the things that medical practitioners and facilities, and their patients, may not be familiar with. The assistance of eligibility experts is needed in determining healthcare eligibility for adult child patients, so these patients could settle bills through SSDI.