If you worked a sufficient amount of time before you became disabled, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and your child may also be entitled to monthly benefits. Your child must be younger than age 18 (or younger than 19 if still in high school). A child over 18 can get disability benefits, but only if that child has a disability that started before age 22 and that disability meets the definition of disability for adults.
If you are disabled but didn’t work long enough or worked at a job where you did not pay into Social Security, you may eligible for benefits based on need under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. SSI, however, does not provide any benefits to dependent children.
(This is only a general overview of SSDI and SSI benefits. Qualifying for Social Security disability benefits is subject to a long and complex set of rules and regulations. For advice on your particular situation contact Nash Disability Law.)