Most people know that the Social Security Administration (SSA) gives disability benefits to men and women who have been disabled and cannot work. Many people do not know that their children are also entitled to money from the government to help pay for their upbringing when their parents are no longer able to work. Some children go without seeing this money because they have not proved who their biological father is. Paternity testing can be the best way to establish your child’s father and to ensure that your child gets the Social Security disability payments that he or she deserves. Our expert lawyers can guide you thoroughly for the benefits for the child of deceased parent.
Roughly 3.8 million American children are receiving a total of $1.6 billion from the SSA because they have parents who are disabled, retired, or deceased and can no longer work. Social Security is there to help ensure that your child has enough money to secure a bright future.
Paternity tests use genetic information to determine paternity. DNA testing is the most advanced, reliable way to determine this, with a more than 99.9% probability of success. Discussing your case with an experienced family attorney can be your first step in securing disability parents for your child.
If you are applying for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income, you are likely aware that the premiums paid by both of these programs are not particularly high. The average for SSDI payments is around 1000 dollars a month, while SSI is a bit lower than that. This can be difficult for a single person to live on, let alone raising a family at the same time. If you have dependents or a spouse, can they get payments as well?
The Requirements
The answer depends on the type of benefits you seek. For Supplemental Security Income, the answer is no. The only person who is entitled to supplemental benefits is the one who physically applied. However, if you apply for disability insurance and have dependents, you may be eligible for what Social Security calls auxiliary benefits.
Family members who are eligible for auxiliary benefits under Social Security Disability Insurance include spouses who are taking care of children under the age of sixteen and dependent children.
To receive these payments from the SSA, the child must have:
* A parent who is no longer able to work, either because he or she is disabled or retired and is entitled to disability benefits; or
* A parent who passed away after having paid Social Security taxes for a set amount of time.
Furthermore, the child must be:
* Unmarried;
* Under the age of 18;
* Under the age of 19 and be a full-time student enrolled in high school or under, or an over 18 and disabled. The disability must have started when the child was under the age of 22.
These payments can go a long way in helping your child receive the money he or she deserves. But to secure this money, you will need to prove the identity of the father. While you may know who the father is, the government will require proof. A paternity test may be the best way to do this.