If the child's parents are alive, we must find both parents disabled to entitle the child to benefits under the dependent grandchild
case provision. In these cases, the disability determination services (DDS) must:
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•
Adopt an existing determination of the parents’ disability; or
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•
Prepare a determination of the parent's disability (as if it were a regular disability
insurance benefit (DIB) claim) solely for entitling the child to child's benefits
on the parent's earnings record. (There is no disability insured status requirement
for the parent(s).)
The field office (FO) determines whether the evidence meets dependency and other entitlement
requirements, and specifies in the SSA-3367 (Disability Report – Field Office) the date the grandparent-child relationship must
be established. This is the date the DDS must use for establishing the parents’ disability.
NOTE: Parent claims do not involve disability benefits unless the parent also files a DIB
claim, in this case there will be two separate claims.