Is My Child Eligible for Disability Benefits?
If your child has a disability, then you’ll want to find out if your child is eligible for social security benefits. This can be a little bit trickier than determining if an adult is eligible for social security benefits since federal programs tend to take into account things like the ability to work, the value of assets, and the income that a person was making before becoming disabled. If your child meets certain requirements, then they could qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
The Requirements for SSI Benefits
There are three main requirements that must occur for your child to be eligible for social security benefits. These include age, financial and medical requirements.
Age requirements for SSI benefits
Generally speaking, your child has to be under the age of 18 in order to be considered for SSI benefits. Once they turn 18, their case will be reevaluated under adult listings. The only exception is if he or she is still a full-time student in a junior high school or a high school. In such a circumstance, the student may be eligible for social security benefits up until the age of 22.
Financial requirements for SSI benefits
Financial requirements are based on the income of the child’s parents. If the child doesn’t live at home, then the income of the parent in charge of the child will be considered.
The process used to determine whether your child qualifies financially is “deeming.” Basically, a specific amount of the parent’s income and resources will be counted as the income of the child. This amount must then meet the income limit used to qualify adults for SSI. They will also take into account any other children that the parents may have when deeming the child’s income.
Medical requirements for SSI benefits
Last but not least, you will need to prove that your child is medically disabled. If your child has a disability that’s on a list of impairments, they may qualify for SSI benefits. You will have to prove that your child has one of these impairments.
These impairments cover a large number of different disabilities. However, if your child’s disability doesn’t exactly meet one of the impairments on the list, you can prove that your child’s disability is similar to one on the list.
To do this, your child’s disability must functionally equal two of six functional categories of impairment, which include:
- The ability to acquire and use information
- The ability to complete tasks
- Ability to interact and relate to others
- The ability to move and manipulate objects
- The ability to care for themselves
- Their general health and physical well-being
Raising a child with a disability can be expensive, especially for low-income families. Fortunately, your child may be eligible for social security benefits, which include monthly payments and Medicaid coverage, if they meet the age, financial, and medical requirements of the SSI program.
If you’re looking for help gathering and submitting information to collect disability benefits, contact us now. You can also call us anytime at 602-952-3200 or use our online LiveChat feature. A social security representative from your region will be in touch for a free case assessment.
This is attorney advertising. SSDA, LLC is a group of attorneys that pursues claims for Social Security Disability benefits on behalf of its clients against the Social Security Administration. SSDA, LLC is in no way a part of the Social Security Administration. Further, the information on this blog is for general information purposes only. Nothing herein should be taken as legal advice. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, a representative-client relationship.
