Hello and thank you for your time. This is a two part question. These question pertains to my sister. She is 35 years old who lives in New York City . She was born mentally disabled. My father is a retired NYC firefighter who collects a disability pension.

Question #1: My sister has been receiving SSI since 2002. Shouldn't she have been receiving benefits sooner, possibly from birth? If so are benefits retroactive?

Question #2: We recently filed for Medicaid (and were approved) so that she can join an adult day care program which only accepts Medicaid. Medicaid sent a letter stating that Social Security has informed Medicaid that she is no longer eligible for SSI because she is now in receipt of Social Security child's benefits as a Disabled Adult Child (DAC). What does that mean? Are the benefits the same? Will she still collect the same amount of money? I appreciate your input and expertise in this matter. Thank you in advance.

Respectfully,

George

Hi George,

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits can't be paid for any months prior to the date that a person files for benefits, or when an application is filed on their behalf in the case of a child or incapable adult. Your sister may not have qualified for SSI prior to age 18 anyway, because assuming that she lived with her parents until then their income and resources would have been considered when determining whether or not she met the hardship guidelines for eligibility.

SSI is intended to supplement any other income that a person may have, and there is an annually established cut-off amount. If your sister is now eligible for disabled adult child's (DAC) benefits on either of her parent's Social Security records, then those benefits would essentially reduce her SSI payments dollar for dollar. DAC benefit rates are derived from the parent's full retirement age rate (PIA), so there is not a standard benefit amount. And if your sister's DAC payments are high enough, her SSI payments could be terminated altogether. Unfortunately, that could also affect her Medicaid eligibility since it too is a needs based benefit.

Best, Jerry