Social Security and Kids

Social Security Act created a number of programs to assist American citizens whose resources and occupational opportunities were limited by disability.  When we think of the supplemental income and benefits that come from the programs we don’t necessarily think of children first.  However, there are various programs within the Social Security Act that were put in place to specifically benefit disabled children.
               

There is one key distinctions in determining what kind of benefits a disabled child has the possibility of receiving.  That distinction is whether they are younger or older than 18 years of age.  The Supplement Security Income, or SSI, program aims at providing disabled children under the age of 18, who meet the disability requirements, with assistance in the form of monthly payments. 

When being considered, the income and resources of the child, including the income and resources of family members living at home with the child, are also part of the requirements, and they must be within the eligibility limits.  Because it is a program that aims at helping people with limited resources, the child will not be eligible if, like an adult, they are making $940 or more a month.

Also like adults, children must be deemed disabled by the Social Security Administration.  There are, however, different criteria for children, and some conditions such as total blindness, total deafness, and muscular dystrophy are immediate qualifiers for benefits.  In order to be deemed disabled, the child must have “marked and severe functional limitations” which limit their activity, and the condition must have lasted at least 12 months or expected to last at least 12 months or result in death.  Parents and children must supply medical and school records which will be used to determine if the condition is a disability, and in some cases medical test may have to be done to reach a result.

Once a child turns 18 our government considers them an adult, and the requirements for SSI change.  Throughout the time a child receives SSI, reviews are done to update their medical condition and therefore qualifications.  Once the child becomes an adult, there’s another review done within a year of their 18th birthday.  At this point the child now has to meet the adult qualifications to be considered disabled.  The non-medical requirements change as well. No longer are other adult family members considered in determining if the monthly income and resources fall within eligibility, and children who weren’t eligible before because their parents made more than the amount allowed can then become eligible. 

The second type of Social Security benefit for children is Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI.  SSDI is a federal insurance program that aids workers who can’t work because of a disability in the form of monthly payments.  If an adult became disabled before the age of 22 they are eligible to apply for SSDI.  This is able to be considered a “child’s” benefit because it is derived from one of the parent’s Social Security earnings record from their past work. 

In addition to being disabled, it is required that one parent either have died and worked long enough under Social Security, one of the parents must be already drawing social security disability or retirement benefits, or the child received benefits on their parent’s Social Security prior to turning 18 and they were disabled by that time.  Under SSDI benefits, the claimant’s disability will be determined by adult requirements.

There are many other programs that the federal and state governments have put in place to assist disabled children.  Along with monetary benefits, these programs also support training and additional benefits and exceptions to increase an individual’s ability to work.  Medicaid, Medicare, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program are also valuable resources.