Photo courtesy of SalFalko, Creative Commons |
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Children labeled as having “special needs” can vary
dramatically when it comes to their symptoms and limitations. Some children
have mild learning impairments while others have terminal illnesses. No matter
the severity of your child’s condition, a disability or health condition is
certain to impact the entire family.
Parents of children with special needs often dedicate a
significant amount of time and effort to keeping their child happy and healthy.
In order to fully support a child with special needs, parents may find that
they need to reduce their professional workload or even leave work all together.
The resulting loss of income and lack of
medical insurance can cause serious financial distress.
If your child has a serious health condition or disability
he or she may qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits. As a
parent or guardian, you can use these payments to provide and care for your
child’s individual needs.
Supplemental Security
Income
The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides disability
benefits through two programs. The first program—SocialSecurity Disability
Insurance (SSDI)—is commonly associated with disabled adults. This is because
eligibility for SSDI is determined by the amount of taxes an individual has
paid into the system. For obvious reasons, children don’t typically qualify for
this type of assistance.
The second disability benefit program is called Supplemental
Security Income (SSI). SSI offers financial assistance to disabled and elderly
individuals who have very little income.This program does not have age or
work-related requirements in order to qualify. Instead, applicants cannot
exceed certain financial limits set forth by the SSA.
In the case of a child, a portion of the parent or
guardian’s finances will be taken into consideration. This is called “deeming”.
The SSA uses deeming when a child is under the age of 18, is unmarried, and
lives at home with his or her parents—who aren’t SSI recipients. The SSA will
no longer deem the parents’ income if one or more of these factors changes.
Parents’ earned income, unearned income, and financial
resources will all be deemed. If the child lives with a step-parent or adoptive
parent, their income will count as well. Listed below are the sources of income
that are not included in the deeming process:
·
Welfare or Public Income Maintenance (Including
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and VA Pension for veterans.
·
Foster care payments
·
Food Stamps
·
Disaster assistance
·
Tax refunds on real property
·
Home grown produce (used for personal
consumption)
In addition to the previously mentioned types of income, the
SSA will also make allocations for living expenses. In 2013, the allocation for
a non-disabled child who does not earn any income is $356 per month. This means
that for each ineligible child that lives in the same household, the SSA will
deduct $356 from a parent’s deemed income.
The SSA also includes a parental living allowance. The
amount for one parent is $710 per month. The amount for two parents is $1,066
per month. This allowance will also be subtracted from the amount of income
deemed to a disabled child. It is important to note that this amount will not
be subtracted for parents who already receive public
assistance.
Once your child turns 18, deeming will stop and his or her
own income will be used to determine eligibility for SSI.
Definition of
Disability
In addition to meeting the technical and financial
requirements mentioned above, your child must also meet the SSA’s definition of
disability to qualify for SSD benefits. This includes meeting the following
criteria:
·
Your child cannot be employed at any job that is
considered to be substantial work.
·
Your child has a mental or physical condition
that significantly limits his or her ability to function and complete typical
daily activities.
·
Your child’s condition has lasted—or is expected
to last—at least one year or otherwise result in death.
Blue Book and Compassionate
Allowance Listings
While the SSA requires that children meet their basic
definition of disability, they also require that your child’s condition match
an impairment listing within the blue book. The blue book is the SSA’s official
manual of disabling conditions and symptoms. It is important to remember that
the SSA has separate listings for children and adults. Access specific listings
and medical criteria, here: http://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/ChildhoodListings.htm
The SSA recognizes that, due to the severity of some
conditions, applicants cannot be expected to wait the standard processing times
to receive disability benefits. For this reason, they began the Compassionate
Allowances (CAL) program. The CAL program allows individuals with severely
debilitating or terminal illnesses to qualify for benefits in as little as ten
days. Please note that you do not have to fill out additional paperwork to
qualify for CAL processing. The SSA will evaluate your child’s claim to
determine whether or not he or she qualifies and will expedite your claim
accordingly. You can access a list of
CAL conditions, here: http://www.disability-benefits-help.org/compassionate-allowances.
Social Security
Disability Application Process
The SSD application process is slightly different for a
children and adults. As the parent or
guardian, you will be required to complete two forms as part of the initial
application. These forms include the “Application for Supplemental Security
Income” and the “Child Disability Report”.
Currently, only the Child Disability Report can be completed online. You
will have to schedule an appointment with your local Social Security office to
complete the SSI application.
Before beginning the application process, it is vital that
you collect the necessary medical records and documentation. The SSA will evaluate
this documentation to determine the severity of your child’s condition. Medical
documentation should include records of your child’s diagnosis, lab results,
summaries of treatments, and any other relevant medical evidence. You should
also include official statements from teachers, coaches, and physicians that
interact with your child on a daily basis and can attest to his or her
limitations. You should also have access
tofinancial statements when you begin the application procedures.
It is important that you understand that the application for
SSD benefits will not be easy. The SSA processes many new applications each day
and unfortunately rejects a good amount of them. It is important that you are
persistent—particularly if your child’s initial application is denied. You have
the right to appeal this decision.
Once you are awarded benefits you will be able to focus on
the well-being of your child rather than your own financial distress.
For more information about SSD benefits, visit Social Security Disability Help or contact Molly Clarke at mac@ssd-help.org.
Please also take a look at the Social Security Disability Help website, which is an amazing resource. Be sure to bookmark it for the future even if your child is not currently eligible for Social Security disability benefits. When the time comes for you to apply on your child's behalf, you'll want this information handy!
1 comment:
Excellent ! I am thankful for the points , Does anyone know if my assistant would be able to get access to a blank SSA-3820-BK copy to fill in ?
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