Simultaneous entitlement exists when a claimant is entitled to a child’s benefit on two records.

Triple entitlement exists when a claimant is entitled to a child’s benefit on three records.

Splitting of entitlement is not permitted because all eligible children on the same SSNs are handled as an indivisible group. Section 202(k)(2)(A) of the Social Security Act requires that all must be entitled on each record where all are eligible. A child can be entitled individually only on a record where the others are not eligible. For example, Bob and Alice have four children. Both become disabled and file for disability benefits. All the children must be entitled on each record. They can not be split up. If one of the children is from Bob's prior marriage that child can be entitled on the prior spouse's record but that child still must be entitled on the two records with the other children.

A combined family maximum equals the sum of the table or formula maximums on the records on which the child is simultaneously entitled, but not more than the maximum allowable limits established in the chart in the following section.

A combined maximum must be considered whenever

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  The simultaneously entitled child will receive a higher benefit based on the combined maximums, or

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  The simultaneously entitled child's benefit will not change but another beneficiary will receive a higher benefit based on the combined maximums. RS 00615.768F.4. shows an example of when the combined maximum allows another beneficiary to receive a higher benefit even though the simultaneously entitled beneficiary's rate remains unchanged, or

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  A higher total payment to the family will apply, even if the person causing the CFM receives a lower rate. For example, a disabled wage earner with three children and a PIA of 930.00 and a maximum of 1395.00 has three children. Each gets 155.00. One child is eligible on their deceased parent’s record with a PIA of 810.70 and a maximum of 1418.80. If the child files on that deceased parent's record their benefit would be 608.00 and the two remaining children would get 232.50 each for a total payable of 1,073.00. If we combine the maximums on the higher PIA each child can receive 465.00. The total payable to the three children would therefore be a 1,395.00.

Combined family maximums must be combined on the record on which the simultaneously entitled child is paid.

Rates are figured as under a table maximum.

Disregard the simultaneously entitled child when determining rates for the other beneficiaries.

A Disability maximum may be combined with any other maximum, even if the maximum is equal to the PIA.

When determining the highest possible CFM, recombined means one of two things.

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  If a CFM is in effect, stops for at least one month and then becomes applicable again, the CFM is recombined.

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  If a CFM is in effect and entitlement begins on another SSN which can be included in the CFM, the CFM is recombined to include the new maximum.

In both cases the highest maximum limit is based on the first month of the new recombined CFM.

Changes in the CFM because of PIA changes or the death of a numberholder do not cause recombining. In those cases the highest maximum limit is still determined by the initial combining of the maximums.