How Much Does A Child With Autism Get From Ssi

If A Beneficiary Dies

Let them know if a person receiving Social Security benefits dies. Benefits are not payable for the month of death. That means if the person died any time in July, for example, the check received in August must be returned. If direct deposit is used, also notify the financial institution of the death as soon as possible so it can return any payments received after death.

Family members may be eligible for Social Security survivors benefits when a person getting disability benefits dies.

If you are receiving both Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefits based on your spouses work and your spouse dies, you must tell Social Security immediately. You no longer will be eligible to receive both benefits. You will be notified which survivor benefit you will receive.

Can You Get Ssi For A Child With Autism

A child applying with autism will have to apply for Supplemental Security Income benefits, which are for people with disabilities and with very little income. Because children do not work, parents income will be taken into consideration when applying for SSI benefits on behalf of a child with autism .

How Does Ssi Work

Once your child is approved to get SSI, you or your adult child will receive a monthly payment. The amount will depend on your income and resources. For example, the 2014 base pay for SSI was $721 a month for a child age 17 or younger. This amount might change each year. The monthly payment may be spent on food and shelter, medical and dental care not covered under health insurance, and personal needs like clothing. Money left over is to be put in savings. However, if your child has more than $2,000 in savings, it could cause problems with their SSI benefits. See more about how to apply and the application process below. Your child or family does not have to pay taxes on SSI income.

Applying for SSI can be complicated or a challenge sometimes. Some parents said it helped them to remember to keep at it and stay strong and maybe try to build a relationship with someone working at the local SSI office to help you along the way.

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Impairments That Qualify For Autism Disability Benefits

Cognition is defined as the mental process of knowing, such as awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment.

Communication is defined as a two way process of exchanging and understanding information. These abilities may be tested in a variety of ways, depending on age, with tests that can also be used to measure language and speech development.

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Can A Child Receive Social Security Benefits If The Parent Never Worked

Even if you have never worked in a job covered by Social Security , as a parent , there are two ways that you may still qualify for benefits . If you are a parent and take care of your child who receives Social Security benefits and is under age 18, you can get benefits until your child reaches age 16.

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Social Security Income Eligibility

To receive SSI, you must have low income and be age 65 or older, blind, or disabled.

Disabled means you have a physical or mental condition that keeps you from working and is expected to last at least a year or to result in death. Children as well as adults can get benefits because of disability. When deciding if a child is disabled, Social Security looks at how their disability affects everyday life.

For more information about benefits for children, contact any Social Security office to ask for the booklet, Benefits For Children With Disabilities .

Blind means you are either totally blind or have very poor eyesight. Children as well as adults may receive benefits because of blindness.

Sometimes, a person whose sight is not poor enough to qualify for benefits as a blind person may be able to receive benefits as a disabled person if his or her condition prevents him or her from working.

To be eligible for SSI based on a medical condition you must:

If you are blind, only the first seven requirements would apply to you.

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Embarking On The Benefit Application Process

When you are ready to begin an SSI claim on behalf of a child you care for, you can schedule an appointment with your local SSA office by calling the main helpline at 1-800-772-1213. Just keep in mind that there are typically long hold times when calling the SSA. If you can find a local number through the SSAs office locator, you may have an easier time making an appointment.

During your local office appointment, youll participate in a personal interview with an SSA representative. This representative will walk you through the SSI application, record your information and submit your claim for you. With a rich medical history, the person you care for should be approved in a couple of months.

To learn more about the Social Security Disability application process, from initially applying, to keeping benefits after being approved, visit .

About the author:

Deanna Power is the Director of Outreach at Disability Benefits Help, an independent organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities receive the Social Security benefits they need. She initially began working with people with disabilities by volunteering with Best Buddies, and now specializes in helping potential Social Security claimants determine if they medically qualify for benefits. If you have any questions on the application process, feel free to email her at .

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Ssi Reduces Childhood Poverty And May Improve Adult Prospects

Families caring for children with disabilities are more likely than other families with the same level of income to face material hardships, such as struggling to put food on the table, being forced out of their homes, having their electricity shut off, or going without the medical care they need. The modest income SSI provides doesnt solve all of these problems, but it does reduce the struggles of these vulnerable families. A stable source of income to pay for housing, for example, may prevent a child from having to leave his or her community and school, an upheaval that can be especially challenging for a child with special needs. Conversely, financial insecurity can pose additional challenges for children with disabilities. For example, children with special needs often require special diets, which raises their food costs and makes them more vulnerable than other children to the harmful effects of food insecurity.

What Is Supplemental Security Income

SSI is a program administered by the Social Security Administration that provides monthly cash payments to low-income elderly or disabled individuals, including blind or disabled children. In addition, to be eligible for SSI the individual must have very few assets. For children on SSI, the Social Security Administration reduces the childs SSI benefit by two-thirds of the amount that is paid in child support.

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Social Security Disability Income

Social security for adults with autism includes both the SSI and SSDI programs. Social security disability benefits for autism may carry over from childhood to adulthood for people who were receiving social security disability for autism on their parents social security record.

The SSDI program is for adults who are disabled from working. It is usually based on the recipients income before they became disabled. If the disability began before age 22, however, it can be based on the recipients parental income.

Once a child reaches age 18, the blue book adult criteria for disability determination takes effect, and these differ from the childhood criteria.

Talk To A Disability Lawyer

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What Is Social Security Disability Insurance

Social Security Disability Insurance is a program administered by the Social SecurityAdministration that provides monthly cash benefits to disabled individuals and families who have a significant history of working. There is no limit on the assets an individual can have and still be eligible for SSDI.

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Receiving Ssi Benefits For A Child With Autism

Social security for children with autism is designed to help parents with limited resources cover additional expenses that occur when caring for a disabled child with autism.

The SSI benefit is a monthly payment that helps parents of children with disabilities, and adults with disabilities, who have lower income and limited resources. The amount of the payment may differ between states because some states supplement the SSI for children with autism.

Eligibility for SSI disability benefits for a child with autism depends on the income and resources that are available to the child and other people living in the childs household. These income rules also apply if the child is away at school but still under the parents care and control.

Once a child is receiving SSI for autism, the SSA will review the childs medical condition to make sure that the disability criteria are still being met. This usually happens every three years. Parents are required to provide evidence of the childs limitations and proof that the child has been receiving medically necessary treatments.

When a child turns 18, the rules for receiving SSI change but the coverage can continue. In many cases, individuals who were not eligible for SSI before their 18th birthday become eligible because of income requirements.

Medically Qualifying For Benefits

A childs medical condition must be severe and disrupt his or her participation in normal or age-appropriate activities. Disability Determination Services will review the childs medical records and compare these with disability listings that appear in the Blue Book. Your childs doctor can review Blue Book information and help you understand whether your child may medically qualify for Social Security disability according to the criteria outlined in this SSA manual.

To make a determination on your childs claim for benefits, the SSA will need the contact information for all the doctors and other healthcare providers your child sees, including hospitals, clinics and therapists, among others. When you apply for SSI, youll additionally provide permission for the SSA to get copies of medical records for a detailed review.

Every child will need different medical records to qualify. A child with either Trisomy 21 or Translocation Down syndrome will automatically medically qualify. A child with ADHD needs significantly more evidence, including a history of inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity. Be sure to review the Blue Book online to know how the child you care for will qualify.

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How A Child With Autism Can Qualify For Social Security Disability Benefits

Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder, affects more than 1 in 54 children in the U.S. For parents a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder often means that they need to make a big lifestyle change. There are therapies and treatments that can be very helpful to kids with Autism but in order to create a comprehensive therapy and care program often one parent will have to quit work and be the one in charge of keeping track of the childs care.

This can cause financial turmoil for the household because many households rely on two incomes to get by and Autism therapies and treatments are usually expensive. The Social Security Administration has a benefits program that can help parents cover the costs of the childs care and living expenses. Supplemental Security Income, or SSI benefits, can ease that financial burden and allow one parent to focus solely on the childs care.

Qualifying For SSI Benefits

The Social Security Administration has strict requirements that must be met in order for children to qualify for SSI benefits. All of those requirements are listed by condition in the SSAs Blue Book. The Blue Book is searchable online. The listing for Autism Spectrum Disorder says that in order to be eligible for benefits children with Autism must have:

• deficits in social interaction
• deficits in verbal and nonverbal communication, and
• significantly restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.

Financial Requirements

Starting A Claim

Financially Qualifying For Ssi

Because minors often have minimal or no income or assets of their own, the SSA must consider the financial circumstances of the child as well as the parents, guardians, foster parents or other caregiver. Children are also unable to apply for benefits for themselves, which means the SSA has standard processes in place to allow any adult who cares for a child with a disability to apply for SSI on his or her behalf.

Before applying, you may wish to review the SSAs Child Disability Starter Kit. This kit explains the SSI program and the information and documentation that will be necessary for filing a claim on behalf of a child. The SSA must review the financial details of the household in which the child lives. This includes the income, assets and other financial resources of the entire family.

Although the SSI qualification rules are strict, many children are able to receive support, even when they have two parents who work and earn a decent living. This is because the SSA excludes some income and other financial resources from consideration. They additionally only assign or deem a portion of available income and assets to the child, which makes it more likely a child will be approved. Also considered is family size and whether income is earned or unearned, among other factors.

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Helping You Return To Work

After you start receiving disability benefits, you may want to try working again. There are special rules called work incentives that can help you keep your cash benefits and Medicare while you test your ability to work. For more information about the ways Social Security can help you return to work, ask for Working While Disabled How We Can Help . More detailed information about work incentives can be found in the Red Book . Also visit the website, www.socialsecurity.gov/work.

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If You Get A Pension From Work

If you start receiving a pension from a job for which you did not pay Social Security taxesfor example, from the federal civil service system, some state or local pension systems, nonprofit organizations or a foreign government your Social Security benefit may be reduced. Also, tell Social Security if the amount of your pension changes.

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Adult Vs Child Disability Benefits

Autism can affect both children and adults. If your child is under age 18 and has autism, and you have low income and assets, your child may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income benefits under the Social Security Act. If you are over age 18 and have autism, you may qualify for either Social Security Disability Insurance benefits or SSI benefits.

Ssi Benefit For Two Children With Autism

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Hi Benefits Advisor,

Thank you,

Chris in St. Joseph, MI

Dear Chris,

The calculation of how much parental income is deemed available for the support of disabled children is the same whether you have one or more disabled children. The only difference is that with multiple disabled children, the deemed amount is split among the children.

In the case of your family, I calculate the same figure as you, $333 for each of your two children . The calculation follows the formula given you by the Social Security Administration. The formula makes provisions for parents supporting themselves and their non-disabled children and gives a work incentive by not counting part of the earned income.

With regard to resource rules, two parents living in the same household with one or more disabled children can have $3,000 in countable assets and each disabled child can have $2,000. If you and your wife have more than $3,000, the excess will be divided between your two disabled children and counted toward their individual $2,000 limits. Note that several assets are not countable including but not limited to a home you live in, one vehicle, resources necessary for self-support and certain kinds of burial policies.

Sincerely,

Benefits Advisor

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