Not true. Anyone can be trained and still have a disability. He is actually good & terrible with money. It is a true contradiction. I let him handle the checking a time or two. Not very good at that. I let him use a debit card. Very good at that. I still let him use the debit card to get our groceries. He also good with cash. I am going to let him handle my estate-even though there not much at all. I trust him. He does have problems saving receipts though.

Payees shouldn't exist unless you have a guardian or the beneficiary wants one.

There was also a mistake made by SSI. It should of been put in his name when he turned 18 or 21. It was not.

https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0200502020

The decision about needing a payee is not made by a disabled beneficiary. It is made by SSA. A person who is capable of managing their own benefits cannot ask SSA to give their money to someone else to manage. And although you may not know any examples, there are plenty of developmentally disabled and/or organic brain damaged adults and/or drug addicts/alcoholics who do not make good decisions about spending money and have to have payees even if they don't want them. There are people who will spend every penny they get the day they get it and be hungry and homeless. But using your criteria, if they don't want a payee, they shouldn't have to have a payee and be allowed to be hungry and homeless, as long as they get to spend money the way they want.

Your son can provide current medical evidence from his treating doctor (a form SSA-787) and be made his payee in a very short time, the day he submits the evidence and files the application. And like I said, becoming his own payee does show SOME medical improvement but it doesn't automatically mean benefits will be ceased.

So he is an SSI recipient then? Never worked?

SSI is not paid for people who are not living in the US. So moving to Ecuador would mean zero SSI benefits. I don't know what kind of SSDI you think he would be waiving at age 65 or do you mean retirement Social Security?

I have read all your posts and am still confused.

He was disabled before 18, so he is eligible for mine, his dad Social Security or survivors if one or both us dies. So he will get SSDI or SSDI survivors but will lose his SSI. I don't think he will get a lot more on money SSDI. neither of US worked enough. That why I told him to wait to 65 to rock the boat. This way if they say he is no longer disabled and can't get SSDI, they can gradually convert him to SSI based on income. Unless congress changes that.

He doesn't get much money on mine. However, I don't think he will get that much more with his dads. Which is at least 10 years away unless he dies.

Just to Note. Our state law, allows beneficiary to choose/approve their payee even for federal benefits.

As soon I get the SSI, SS & mine, almost every penny is spent within 2 weeks. It goes Shelter, Food, Bills. Most bills are due around the 1st. Which I hate. We shouldn't have internet. It keeps my son entertained and me looking for work, which I should be retied. I am working but at a very low paying job. I pay really cheap dial-up. The computer was giving to us. It is easier to pay some bills. For SSI My income doesn't count, since he is over 18. If I got a job that paid over $1000 a month he would lose his SSDI but his SSI would increase tell I turned 66.