How Children Can Legally Obtain SSI Benefits
A person who is younger than 18 may be able to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits if they are not working or earning more monthly income than a certain threshold that changes each year. (Distinctive rules apply to a child who is blind.) A child also must have a condition that causes marked and severe functional limitations, and the disability must have lasted or be expected to last for at least 12 months or result in death.
Eligibility limits related to income and resources also apply. In determining whether these requirements are met, the SSA will consider not only the income and resources of the child but also the income and resources of family members in their household if they live at home. The income and resources of family members also will affect an eligibility determination if the child lives at school for some of the time but still returns home regularly and remains subject to the control of their parents.
Pursuing SSI Benefits for a Child
When a parent seeks SSI benefits on behalf of a child with a disabling medical condition, they will need to provide information about the condition and its impact on the child’s activities, including any relevant medical or school records. Parents also will need to authorize health care providers and school authorities who have worked with the child to provide information about their condition. The Disability Determination Services in their state will decide whether the child has a qualifying disability under SSA rules. (DDS is a state agency funded by the federal government to assist the SSA with these determinations.) Sometimes a child may need to undergo an additional medical examination to determine whether they are eligible.
A parent generally should not expect a decision immediately. In some cases, though, the SSA may issue benefits while the DDS evaluates whether a child’s condition qualifies. These benefits are available for up to six months. A parent generally does not need to repay these benefits if the DDS determines that the child does not meet the SSI criteria. Examples of conditions that may qualify for these provisional benefits include total blindness or deafness, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and muscular dystrophy.
SSI Benefits When a Child Becomes an Adult
The SSI requirements for an adult with a disability are different from those for a child. Thus, a child who has been receiving these benefits must undergo a review when they turn 18 to determine whether they are still eligible for benefits as an adult. The review typically occurs within a year after the child turns 18.
While sometimes a person who received SSI as a child no longer will be eligible as an adult, the opposite also may be true. A child may not have been able to get these benefits due to the income and resources of their parents. Once they turn 18, though, the financial condition of their parents is no longer the key factor. Only the income and resources of the person with a disability will count toward this threshold if they are not married. (A spouse is the only family member whose income and resources count in an adult SSI claim.) Thus, they may now be eligible for these benefits if they meet the medical criteria.
