If you are disabled, I’m sure you are aware that you may be eligible to receive benefits for 
Social Security benefits. However, I’ll be that you didn’t know that your family members might also be eligible to receive benefits.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is well aware that when a disability stops someone from working, they may not be the only one affected. Oftentimes there are family members who also feel the impact of losing household income and in such cases they may qualify for SSDI benefits as a dependent.
A legal dependent may include a spouse, divorced spouse, or child. The SSA limits the monetary amount a family member can receive based on a number of factors, but according to regulations the total SSDI benefits for all family members can add up to 150 to 180 percent of a person’s disability rate. Naturally the rate given to each family member is based on how many dependents are involved.
If only one or two family members are eligible, each dependent may be able to collect up to 50 percent of a disabled person’s benefits. A spouse is eligible if they are above the age of 62 or care for a child under 16 years old. If the child is also disabled the SSA does not consider age as a requirement.
The SSA states that a person’s disability benefits will not be determined by the size of their family, but the family’s benefits will be determined based on an individual’s SSDI benefits. Although SSDI benefits do not equal what a person was making while they were working, such benefits are very important to families. The SSA recognizes that the cost of supporting a family is not feasible solely on SSDI benefits and this is why family members are eligible.
Ben Winter, P.A. focuses its practice in the areas of Social Security Disability and Workers Compensation in St Petersburg, Florida. For more information, go to our web site www.benwinterlaw.com or call (727) 822-0100.