NHPCO NewsLine Winter 2017 - 32

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■ A spouse age 62+
■ A child* under age 18
■ A spouse of any age caring for a child under age 16
*A child includes biological, adopted, or step children.
Additional children in the person's care will not be
eligible for benefits unless they've been legally adopted,
or both of their biological parents are disabled or
deceased.
Dependents will receive up to 50% of the monthly SSDI
benefits each, but the household maximum cannot
exceed 180% of your SSDI entitlement. For example, if a
person has three minor children and receive $2,000 in
SSDI benefits per month, all of the children would be
eligible for auxiliary benefits. Because the household cap
would come into play, the maximum payment would be
$3,600.

In the Event of Death
A person's family will be protected when they die.
Dependents can receive survivors' benefits in the event
of the patient's death. Eligible parties are similar to
those who can receive auxiliary benefits:
■
■
■
■

A spouse age 60+
A child under age 18
A spouse of any age caring for a child under age 16
Dependent parents-parents can receive additional
aid if they're responsible for more than 50% of their
daily living needs

Family members who qualify for survivors' benefits
will be eligible for up to 75% of the person's monthly
entitlement-a large increase from auxiliary benefits.

medical information, as the SSA will gather it on their
behalf. It'll be important to list every hospital where a
patient has received treatment to ensure the SSA can
collect the necessary medical records.
Individuals can also apply in person at the closest
Social Security office. There are more than 1,300 SSA
offices located across the country. To apply in person,
applicants should schedule an appointment by calling
the SSA toll free at 1-800-772-1213.
It typically takes three to five months to hear back from
the SSA, but many people in hospice care will be
approved quicker. The SSA flags conditions that are
"clearly disabling" for expedited review, meaning a
person under hospice care could be approved in as little
as 10 days.

Helpful Links:
The SSA's Blue Book: https://www.ssa.gov/disability/
professionals/bluebook/
Qualifying with breast cancer: https://www.disabilitybenefits-help.org/disabling-conditions/breast-cancer
More information on SSDI: https://www.ssa.gov/
disability/
Calculate your full retirement age: https://www.ssa.
gov/planners/retire/1943.html
Auxiliary benefits: https://www.disability-benefitshelp.org/glossary/auxiliary-benefits
Planning for survivors' benefits: https://www.ssa.gov/
planners/survivors/ifyou5.html
Apply online: https://secure.ssa.gov/iClaim/dib

Starting Your Application
The easiest way to apply is online on the SSA's website.
Applicants will not need to physically mail in any

SSA offices across the country: https://www.disabilitybenefits-help.org/social-security-disability-locations

Deanna Power is the Director of Outreach for Disability Benefits Help. She specializes in helping applicants determine
if they medically qualify for Social Security disability benefits. If you have any questions on the content of this article
or how to qualify in general, she can be reached at drp@ssd-help.org
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NHPCO NewsLine | Winter 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NHPCO NewsLine Winter 2017