General. If you were legally adopted by the insured before he or she became entitled to old-age or disability benefits, you are considered dependent upon him or her. If you were legally adopted by the insured after he or she became entitled to old-age or disability benefits and you apply for child's benefits during the life of the insured, you must meet the dependency requirements stated in paragraph (b) of this section. If you were legally adopted by the insured after he or she became entitled to old-age or disability benefits and you apply for child's benefits after the death of the insured, you are considered dependent upon him or her. If you were adopted after the insured's death by his or her surviving spouse, you may be considered dependent upon the insured only under the conditions described in paragraph (c) of this section.
Adoption by the insured after he or she became entitled to benefits—(1) General. If you are legally adopted by the insured after he or she became entitled to benefits and you are not the insured's natural child or stepchild, you are considered dependent on the insured during his or her lifetime only if—
You had not attained age 18 when adoption proceedings were started, and your adoption was issued by a court of competent jurisdiction within the United States; or
You had attained age 18 before adoption proceedings were started; your adoption was issued by a court of competent jurisdiction within the United States; and you were living with or receiving at least one-half of your support from the insured for the year immediately preceding the month in which your adoption was issued.
Natural child and stepchild. If you were legally adopted by the insured after he or she became entitled to benefits and you are the insured's natural child or stepchild, you are considered dependent upon the insured.
Adoption by the insured's surviving spouse—(1) General. If you are legally adopted by the insured's surviving spouse after the insured's death, you are considered dependent upon the insured as of the date of his or her death if—
You were either living with or receiving at least one-half of your support from the insured at the time of his or her death; and,
The insured had started adoption proceedings before he or she died; or if the insured had not started the adoption proceedings before he or she died, his or her surviving spouse began and completed the adoption within 2 years of the insured's death.
Grandchild or stepgrandchild adopted by the insured's surviving spouse. If you are the grandchild or stepgrandchild of the insured and any time after the death of the insured you are legally adopted by the insured's surviving spouse, you are considered the dependent child of the insured as of the date of his or her death if—
Your adoption took place in the United States;
At the time of the insured's death, your natural, adopting or stepparent was not living in the insured's household and making regular contributions toward your support; and
You meet the dependency requirements stated in § 404.364.
Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.
LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.
The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.
You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.
The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.
Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.