As a parent, it may be absolutely gut-wrenching for you to watch your child suffer from a serious physical, mental, or emotional disability. You may try to help them in every conceivable way, but you may still feel useless and helpless at the end of the day. With this, you may reach a point of desperation where you plea for outside help, such as the aid of the Social Security Administration (SSA). Here, you must understand the eligibility criteria for child Social Security Insurance (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits before petitioning for the SSA’s resources. Follow along to find out whether your child can get Social Security benefits and how a proficient New Jersey SSDI benefits lawyer at The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur can help you take care of your child.
Under what circumstances can my child receive Social Security Insurance benefits?
Generally speaking, the SSA offers monthly SSI payments to individuals with limited income and resources who are 65 years or older, blind, or with a disability. However, this eligibility may also extend to your child if they meet certain conditions.
For one, they must have a medical condition that meets the SSA’s definition of a disability. Specifically, this may be a physical, mental, or emotional impairment that severely limits their activities (i.e., they cannot do any substantial work) and has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months; plus, this impairment may be expected to result in death.
Then, as of 2025 in the state of New Jersey, your child cannot have income or resources from certain family members living in their household (i.e., you and your spouse) of motor than $1,620 per month if they are not blind and $2,700 per month if they are blind.
How do I know if my child can collect SSDI benefits?
Once your child reaches a mature age, you may grow concerned that the SSA’s financial assistance may vanish. However, you may feel relief learning that they may still be eligible for SSDI adult child benefits under your or their other parent’s account. That is, this is if they can prove that their physical, mental, or emotional impairment had an onset date prior to their 22nd birthday. Plus, they must not have engaged in substantial work in any year after their 22nd birthday. Lastly, they must not yet be married.
It is also worth mentioning that they may only access these monthly SSDI benefits if you or their other parent also has a disability, has already retired, or has sadly passed away. At the same time, one of you must have worked enough throughout your lifetime to qualify for this benefits program in the first place.
If you have any outstanding questions yet to be answered, please ask a talented New Jersey SSDI benefits lawyer. Anyone at The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur can offer the support you need.
