Learning How To Recover

Your Disabled Child And Social Security: What To Know

16 February 2016 by Susie Torres

The Social Security Administration (SSA) pays monthly monetary benefits to disabled children under certain circumstances. Your child under the age of 18 (22 if in college) may qualify. Whether or not your child qualifies for these benefits depends primarily on their medical condition and your financial situation, with your income and property used in this determination. To learn more about how your finances affects your child's eligibility for Social Security Supplemental Insurance, read on.

Deeming

The SSA limits your income and property, regardless of the severity of your child's medical condition. This means that before you even begin the medical condition evaluation, your financial situation comes into play. The SSA uses a process known as "deeming" in evaluating income and property, in which the SSA "deems" that the child has a certain amount of income and property available for their care, and you must stay under that amount to qualify for benefits. Deeming can be very confusing, but in general it's based on the number of people living in the family home, the income of the parents, any child support paid to the child, and more.

A Social Security caseworker will evaluate your financial situation more accurately, but you can find online charts to provide a general idea of benefits available. Some income is not deemed (or not counted) toward the limit, such as:

• Income tax refunds
• Foster care payments
• Food stamps
• Veterans pensions
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF): If you receive this form of government assistance, your income is not counted and no deeming on that income will occur.
• Homes and vehicles

Property deemed available includes second homes, investment and savings accounts and other property.

Benefits Amounts May Fluctuate

Your child's eligibility is recalculated each month, based on your income. The following events could also affect the benefit:

• A parent dies.
• The child moves out of the family home.
• A child moves into a residential treatment facility.
• One parent moves out of the family home.

For some temporary situations, the benefit amount won't necessarily change. The SSA looks at:

1. Intent: A planned three-week vacation with a grandparent or a trip to summer camp are intended to be temporary events and would therefore not affect the benefit amount.
2. School: Child who board at school can continue to receive benefits as long as the child visits home occasionally for weekends and holidays.

The deeming process can be confusing and you may need the help and support of a Social Security attorney, like Waycaster & Allred, to navigate through the many requirements, deadlines and income and property limits.

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