As the parent of a disabled child, you may face various situations that other parents may not. You may need to provide extra care, attention and money in order to ensure that your child has what he or she needs to thrive. Though you certainly have immense love and joy for your child, you may find yourself feeling as if your financial shortcomings have put limitations on your ability to provide for him or her.
If you have a low income, you may fear that a day will come when your child must go without a necessity. Though this fear affects many people, you may benefit from knowing that Supplemental Security Income could potentially provide financial assistance.
Requirements
In order for children to receive SSI assistance, you and your child must meet certain requirements, including:
- Age – To qualify for SSI, your child’s age must remain under 18 years old, or under 22 years old if he or she regularly attends school. After reaching age 18, the Social Security Administration re-evaluates the case.
- Disability – Obviously, in order to receive disability benefits, your child must have some sort of disability or blindness. As his or her parent, you must provide evidence that your child’s physical or mental condition will last at least a year or has a terminal diagnosis, and that the condition places considerable limitations on your child’s abilities.
- Income – Another requirement relates to your income level. In order to prove your limited income and resource availability, you must go through an interview and pass income testing.
Interview and testing
When it comes to going through the interview process, you may wish to prepare as best as possible. By providing useful information regarding your child’s condition at this stage of the process, you may have a greater chance of effectively displaying your need for SSI. Documents relating to your child’s diagnosis, treatment, medications, other medical records and birth certificate can bolster your case.
The testing aspect of your application looks at your income and your financial resources. When evaluating income, the Social Security Administration excludes food stamps and other government benefits considered need-based as well as the first $65 of your earnings and various other items. In order to meet the financial resources test, countable resources cannot exceed $2,000, though SSI excludes certain items from this consideration.
Preparation
When preparing for your SSI application, you may wish to enlist the help of a Michigan attorney. This individual can assist you in gathering needed documents and information, and getting any necessary paperwork completed fully and accurately.
