SSI Gives a Financial Break to Families of Children With Special Needs
If your child has a physical, developmental or mental health condition, caring for them brings costs and stress. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can provide financial help to families of children with disabilities in Arizona.
Children’s SSI is a disability benefit run by Social Security. While Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for adults centers on a person’s ability to work, work isn’t a factor in a child’s case.
To receive children’s SSI, a child must have a qualifying disability, and their family must have limited income and financial resources.
Children can qualify for SSI from birth. The childhood SSI rules apply until age 18. At that point, Social Security reviews the case under the adult disability rules, and SSI can continue if the young adult qualifies.
Social Security looks at two main things in deciding whether to approve your child for benefits:
- Does your child meet Social Security’s definition of disability?
- Does your family meet the financial rules for SSI?
Both requirements matter when applying for disability benefits in Arizona.
A child may have a severely limiting disability but still not qualify for SSI benefits if the household has too much income or too many “countable resources.”
When a family has the limited means the program requires, the child must still meet Social Security’s medical and functional requirements.
At Slepian Ellexson, we are Arizona disability attorneys who care about families dealing with the demands of caring for a child with significant special needs.
You may be juggling doctor visits, therapy, school meetings and everyday caregiving on a tight household budget. This financial assistance could help you provide important support for your child.
But figuring out a complicated Social Security program on top of everything else can add a lot of pressure.
Make the process easier with help from a disability lawyer who navigates this system for you.
Slepian Ellexson has been helping Arizonans since 1978. Our disability lawyers have more than 50 years of combined experience.
We can help you understand whether your child may qualify for SSI, what evidence Social Security needs and how the rules apply to your family.
When you work with Slepian Ellexson, you only pay a fee when you win benefits.
What Qualifies a Child for SSI Disability Benefits in Arizona?
Social Security uses a different definition of disability for children than it does for adults.
For adults, disability is largely about whether a medical condition prevents the person from performing substantial work. Children are not expected to work, so Social Security looks instead at how the child’s condition affects their ability to function.
For a child under age 18 to qualify for SSI, the child must have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment (or combination of impairments) that results in “marked and severe functional limitations,” according to Social Security’s guidelines.
The condition must also have lasted, or be expected to last, for at least 12 continuous months.
A child may qualify if the condition meets or medically equals one of Social Security’s listed impairments. If it does not, Social Security can determine whether the condition functionally equals the listings.
To make that decision, Social Security looks at how the child functions at home, at school and in the community. It will consider six areas:
- Acquiring and using information
- Attending and completing tasks
- Interacting and relating with others
- Moving about and manipulating objects
- Self-care
- Health and physical well-being
Generally, a child’s condition can functionally equal the listings when it causes a marked limitation in at least two of these areas or an extreme limitation in one.
That’s why a children’s SSI claim may involve much more than medical records.
Doctors’ records, diagnostic testing and treatment history are important, but Social Security may also need information showing how the child functions in everyday life.
Depending on the child, helpful evidence may include school records, individualized education programs (IEPs), psychological or developmental testing, therapy records and information from teachers or others who regularly see the child.
For example, a child may be able to perform a task in a highly structured classroom with one-on-one assistance but struggle significantly without that support.
Social Security is supposed to consider how much help the child needs and how the child functions across different environments, rather than simply looking at one test result or appointment.
At Slepian Ellexson, we can help make sure Social Security sees the complete picture.
We are local Arizona disability lawyers who review the medical, educational and other evidence available in your child’s case and help explain how the condition affects your child’s everyday functioning.
Get a FREE case evaluation for your child’s SSI claim.
What Are the Income Limits for Childhood SSI in Arizona?
Because SSI is a needs-based program, Social Security also looks closely at your family’s finances.
When a child under 18 lives with a parent, Social Security may count part of the parent’s income and resources as though they were available to the child. This is known as “parental deeming.”
If a parent and stepparent live in the household, some of the stepparent’s income and resources may also be considered.
This does not mean Social Security simply counts everything the family earns or owns. Certain income and resources are excluded, and Social Security makes allowances for parents and other children living in the household.
For example, the home where the family lives, one vehicle used for transportation and certain retirement funds generally are not counted as deemed resources. The calculation can vary widely depending on household income, the number of people in the family and the types of resources involved.
If Social Security determines that too much parental income or resources are available to the child, the child may receive a reduced SSI payment or may not qualify at all.
These rules also change when the child reaches adulthood. Parental deeming generally stops after the child turns 18.
A young person who could not qualify for SSI as a child because of a parent’s income may therefore become financially eligible after turning 18.
When you’re applying for childhood SSI, Social Security will ask for information about your child’s medical condition along with household income, resources and living arrangements.
Families can complete the Child Disability Report online, but Social Security generally requires a phone call or appointment to finish a child’s SSI application.
How Our Arizona SSI Lawyers Can Help with Your Child’s Claim
A child’s SSI claim can involve a lot to manage: medical records, school records, household finances, Social Security forms and deadlines.
A denial makes the process even more difficult. You can appeal, but appeals get more legally technical. Slepian Ellexson can help you through each step.
Our Arizona SSI attorneys can review your family’s circumstances, help determine whether your child may meet the medical and financial requirements, gather evidence showing how your child’s condition affects everyday life and handle an appeal if Social Security denies the claim.
Slepian Ellexson focuses on Social Security Disability law.
We are a local firm helping people throughout Arizona. You get direct attention from a disability attorney, not just support staff, and you have someone who knows this system inside and out helping you move the claim forward.
Contact Slepian Ellexson to talk about your child’s SSI claim.
