Hi Jerry,

Thank you so much for the reply.

Well, this is bad news for me - I was hoping I could suspend for 3 years and increase my monthly benefit that way. More importantly, I was looking forward to "retirement" thinking only then would I be safe from the threat of a "medical review" and losing my benefit altogether. I'm terrified of that. It also really sucks that I cannot marry - I thought perhaps after age 67 I'd regain that basic human right, but now I guess not... I truly wish I'd never been born. There seems to be no end to my pain and suffering!

If I'm going to continue to live without finally losing all hope and killing myself, I'm gonna need some good advice - I'm trying my hardest, but with low energy, brain fog, depression, etc., it's so hard to try to figure out how (and where) I might qualify for Medicaid, QMB, Section 8 HCV, all this crazy nonsense... apparently just Washington D.C., but their Section 8 wait list is closed, and the crime rate there is pretty scary...

I know nothing about this stuff - I grew up upper middle class - my father was a doctor and my mother was a high school home ec teacher before she married... they're both gone now, I'm living with a brother after my other brother stole my inheritance, and my brother wants me out so his girlfriend can move in. I've never once even tried any illegal drug, I don't drink or smoke, have zero criminal background of any kind, I'm clean, polite, respectful, etc., but very sensitive and easily stressed out and overwhelmed... I've already had far more than my share of bad luck, heartbreak, downward mobility and suffering... I feel like I'm at the edge of a cliff with nobody to help me. The people at SSA are monsters, my disability attorney was done with me after winning my case, and I just don't know where to turn. My benefit is just over the limit to qualify for Legal Aid...

I did go into the SSA office 11 months ago and formally fill out the paperwork to request my fathers earnings record, but I never heard back from them... I've had DAC for about 5 years now, before that I got SSI and Medicaid for a few years while my attorney fought my case very hard...

I thought it might be easier just to move to a cheaper, safer country like Portugal or Greece or wherever, but I hear that SSA will require me to "re-certify" or whatever on an annual basis, and try their best to cut me off (should be much easier for them if I'm not even in the US, right?)

HELP! What would you suggest?

Matthew

Hi Matthew,

I'm sorry, but my expertise is limited to Social Security benefits, and I can't advise people beyond answering their questions about Social Security benefits. It sounds like you're probably getting as much as you're eligible for from Social Security. Disabled adult child's (DAC) benefits are calculated at 75% of a deceased parent's primary insurance amount, or 50% of the PIA of a living parent. I would say that 99% of DAC benefit computations are automated, and it's frankly unlikely that you might actually be receiving an incorrect rate. I obviously can't tell you that for sure, though, because I don't have access to your records.

You mention not being able to marry, but for your information your DAC benefits wouldn't be terminated if you marry someone who is drawing Social Security benefits (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.18/handbook-1852.html). Marriage to someone who isn't a Social Security beneficiary would terminate your DAC benefits, though, and you couldn't then be re-entitled to your DAC benefits even if your marriage ended or if your spouse later became entitled to Social Security benefits.

You can follow up with Social Security about getting a copy of your father's earnings history, but even if you got it and thought it was incorrect you would still need to submit adequate evidence of additional earnings in order to get it corrected. The only other thing I can think of is that in some areas of the country there are disability advocacy agencies, so maybe if you could get in contact with an organization like that they may be able to offer suggestions.

Best, Jerry