.png)
A reader from California wonders if his wife is eligible for Social Security while taking care of an adult disabled child if the reader is still working and has not applied for Social Security yet.
“I am 59 years old, and my wife is 56. I am still working. We have a 21-year-old son who is disabled with Autism and receives SSI. My wife is at home full-time, taking care of my son. Can my wife get Child-in-Care Social Security, even though I have not applied for Social Security? If so, please let us know the process.”
I want to start by pointing out that people are loosey-goosey with the acronym (or initialism) ‘SSI.’ SSI is not a Social Security retirement benefit like most people imagine. It’s a separate program administered by Social Security, and it stands for Supplemental Security Income. It is supplemental insurance, not your retirement insurance.
Many people use SSI, as in “I’m on SSI” or “I claim SSI.” They also use a slang term for Supplemental Security Income – they call it ‘welfare’ – because it consists of monthly payments for people with disabilities, low income, or other qualifications such as blindness. It’s a supplemental support system for those financially struggling for specific reasons, not necessarily for everyone who is financially struggling.
SSI is different from the types of benefits we usually discuss on our Social Security podcast or website: Social Security retirement benefits, spousal benefits, survivor benefits, etc. SSI is a distinct system.
In your case, I know you are using SSI correctly. I just wanted to point out that I see so many people misusing SSI when they mean their Social Security retirement benefit.
So, as you have an adult disabled son under age 21, I’m not surprised that you’re receiving SSI. People with disabilities are one of the primary cohorts that receive Supplemental Security Income, or SSI payments.
However, Child-in-Care (CIC) benefits are part of the other system – not SSI, but the retirement system that pays a spousal benefit. CIC refers directly to spousal or survivor benefits, making it part of the Social Security retirement system. However, the CIC version of spousal or survivor benefits is paid with slightly different rules. The reason is that the person claiming that spousal or survivor benefit also cares for a minor child or an adult disabled child of the worker upon whose record the spousal or survivor benefit is being claimed.
In other words, the CIC benefit is a spousal benefit related to a retirement benefit, not an SSI benefit. It is unlocked by a worker claiming a Social Security benefit where you are their spouse. Claiming is what unlocks the door to the spousal benefit on the other spouse’s record. You must be 62 years old to get a traditional spousal benefit. Remember that while you’re eligible at 62, claiming it that early will result in a reduced retirement benefit because you are claiming it well before your Full Retirement Age (FRA). That, in short, describes the basics of a spousal benefit.
What CIC does is provide an exception. Social Security will say, “You know what? If you’re caring for a minor child or an adult disabled child of the worker who has claimed their Social Security benefit, and if you’re under 62, we’ll waive that age requirement.” For CIC, you can claim the spousal at any age as long as your spouse has claimed their retirement benefit. Social Security won’t force you to wait until age 62. Not only that, but they won’t punish you or penalize you for claiming it earlier than your FRA.
This CIC exception doesn’t create a new benefit payable in another way. It essentially says that Social Security has altered the criteria for the spousal benefit that you’d typically have to wait until age 62 to claim (or the survivor benefit usually available at age 60). It allows you to claim that spousal or survivor benefit earlier and unreduced. That’s what CIC does.
Let’s go back to your question. You nailed the key when you said, “I have not applied for Social Security.” That’s the one thing that must happen to unlock the door to a spousal benefit of any kind. The fact that your adult son is collecting SSI does not affect whether the spousal benefit opens – because your wife is not married to her child, so there’s no spousal relationship there. Instead, the spousal relationship is with you as (I’m assuming) the father of the adult disabled child. You would have to claim your retirement benefit first. Then, a spousal benefit of the CIC variety with the mentioned relaxed criteria would be available because your wife would be caring for an adult disabled child.
So, unfortunately, the answer to your main question is no. Your wife will not be eligible for a CIC spousal benefit unless and until you, as her husband, claim your retirement benefit. However, you’re only 59 years old, too young to claim. I’m not saying you should claim at 62. but if you do when you’re first eligible – the month you turn 62 or older – that would unlock a potential spousal benefit of the CIC variety for your spouse. However, your retirement benefit would be reduced significantly.
In cases like yours, it might make slightly more sense to claim earlier (versus later) because you are claiming your own retirement benefit and unlocking benefits for your wife and child. The CIC benefits might be better than the SSI the child currently receives.
You will want to look into the numbers in detail as you approach the point at which you could make that choice. Right now, the choice cannot be made. You’re only 59, and your wife is only 56. Now, you’re both too young to claim a Social Security benefit.