HI all !! please allow me to vent !! I was approved at my hearing in August 07 for SS. I finally got my first check in Nov 07. I finally got my backpay in Jan of 08. So now my wait is for my dependant child's backpay and monthly checks. I had to wait for my first SS check to come before I could apply to add my dependant child. Well I applied right away, sent in her signed papers from her school and that was all about 7 weeks ago. Every day I check my bank balance just hoping it's there. My lawyer said two weeks ago that if I didn't get it in 2 weeks to call her back. Well I called the SS office myself. First they said they never received my letter from my child's school then they said the man that handles it is out to lunch just leave a message and he will return your phone call. Well no I had to call the next day AGAIN. This time they said oh yes they received it it is still on 'his' desk and I should hear something in 4-6 weeks. Is this not nuts or what ??? My lawyer said awhile ago that the dependant child's case goes MUCH FASTER then my SS case went and it shouldn't even take a month. Well here it is 7 weeks later and my application STILL SITS ON HIS DESK. I sure hope these SS workers enjoy the money that is in their check books to support their children every month. I am still very pleased my case is over and I received a fully favorable but I don't understand how they run a bussiness like this. If you owe them money 'THEY WANT IT NOW' well so do I !!!!!! take care all,:angel:

I am so sorry that you are going through this, but i must thank you for posting the information. I have also just gotten my letter of a fully favrable decision on my ssdi case. I am waiting for the 1st check, and then I am going to apply for my daughter. I wasn't sure if I had to wai or if I could go ahead and apply now. Do you know if it matters? At least now I will know that it will take some time. I also figured that since I was already approved and they have my kids birthday, to know that she was under 18yrs. I figured it would be automatically accepted. If there is anything esle you can suggest to me, I would appreciate it. Do you know if I can apply for my daughter online, or do I need to go into the office?

Thanks,
Lorie:angel:

HI 1foster21 thanks for replying, that's why these boards are so great , we all help one another. After I received my first check I got a letter setting up a phone interview about my child. (very basic information I had to give) then I would receive a letter in the mail with a form I had to have my child's school fill out (also very basic just to verify she was a student etc) wellllllllllll now the wait.........keep in mind I was approved in August and it is now March and still waiting........... so yes this is where I am now and I can only share with you what you can anticipate........oh but if we owed them money they would not let us keep THEM waiting......hang in there and take-care:angel:

oops sorry forgot to answer a few of your questions. No sorry you can not apply for your dependant on line. You also can not start the procedure til you receive your first check and then they contact you. I had asked my attorney these questions earlier too. By the way I sent the papers from my child's school two days after I received them so there was no wait for them there. Also keep in mind my first check was in Nov and it wasn't til Jan til they contacted me about my dependant. I feel bad telling you this because it didn't happen fast for me ........ like I said above.......hang in there .....

In SC, when you apply for disability benefits for yourself, you also apply at the same time for SSI and dependent benefits. Too bad not all states do the same. I don't know what the reasoning is to delay the children's benefits - it's obviously an easier process, especially if the child is under 18 and still in school.

In VA, you also aply for both yourself and children all at once, along with SSI. I did this and we were denied, but when I got the notice for the hearing, the hearing was only for myself. So, I was confused why they did not include my daughter with the appeal. Maybe I needed to do 2 eperat appeas, I don't know. But I will wait for my check and then ask them what I should do about my daughter.

Thanks guys.

Lorie:angel: