Social Security Benefits for Child in Care of Great Grandparents

Here is the situation. Dad murdered his wife, and he went to jail and is now out. They have a 4-year-old and the court gave full custody not to the grandparents but to the Great Grandparents. Dad is disabled. Would the great grandparents be entitled to In Care benefits and the child entitled to benefits until he is 18? I was not sure since it passed down to the great grandparents. I know there would be a family max. Can you break that out for me in percentages if this works?

A great-grandchild does not qualify for Social Security benefits from a great-grandparent's work record. However, in this situation, the child may still be eligible for benefits under certain conditions. If the mother had earned enough Social Security credits, the child should be eligible for survivor benefits from her record. Additionally, if the father is eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), the child would also be eligible for benefits from his record.

The great-grandparents, as the legal guardians, would serve as the representative payees for the child's benefits. These benefits typically continue until the child reaches age 18 (or 19 if still in high school). It's important to note that the benefits will be subject to a family maximum, which limits the total amount that can be paid to all family members on one worker's record.

The family maximum typically ranges between 150% and 180% of the worker's full retirement or disability benefit. If the father's SSDI benefits are the basis for the child's benefits, the percentages for each dependent (including the child) would generally be 50% of the father’s Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). If there were additional eligible dependents, the amounts might be reduced proportionally to stay within the family maximum.

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