Would my son qualify for SSI?

Question

He is 10 years old and he was diagnosed with ADHD, PAD (phonological awareness disorder), and a learning disability about 4 years ago. He also has an IEP. I was told by a special ed teacher to apply, but from what i understand your disablity has to severley interupt daily functions. He has alot of trouble with everyday things but he still functions so if anyone has had any experience with this i would really appreciate your comments. thank you

Answer 1

SSI is based on your income level and the nature of the disability.  Contact your local Social Security Adminstration office or welfare agency for more information.

Answer 2

My daughter is on SSI. She has hydrocephalus and she's pretty functional. After you apply they look at the medical records and if based on those records if they think he doesn't qualify you have the option to go to one of their doctors for additional evaluations.

Another BIG factor in getting SSI is your household income. If you're household makes too much, you automatically don't qualify. and if you don't quality right now, you might later down the road.

Answer 3

Level of disability and care needed are only part of the qualifying process for SSI.  The deciding factor is almost always the total amount of household income.  It can vary, but generally speaking, if your yearly household income (and that is based on all the income generated by any adults living in and paying towards the cost of the house..not simply your's and your spouse's if other adults live with you) is over $35,000 a year you will not qualify.  All you can do is apply.  Go to the Social Security website and download the pre-interveiw check list..it will tell you everything you will need to bring with you when you go to the local social security office to apply. It is not a simple process and can take time, but you really won't loose anything by trying.

Answer 4

well. here is the thing...

usually whenever a person is diagnosed with ANY kind of disability, they qualify for SSI

you have not stated how you have figured that your son is functioning okay...do you have other children that he is 'keeping up with' mentally as well as physically?

when a child is diagnosed with any kind of 'disability', they are usually always eligible for SSI

you do not state how far advanced the PAD is or if this is at a debilitating degree

as parents, many times we do not see our children from an unbiased vantage point...do you have problems getting babysitters for him? do teachers at school refer to him as hard to handle? does he have very many friends?

these are all questions that you can ask yourself and try to answer.

you need to decide what your child would do without you to guide him and help him...if the answer is that he would be a handful for anyone else, you can bet that he is not functioning as well as what you believe him to be, sometimes, we, as parents, are just blinded by love

most children with ADHD alone qualify

Answer 5

In order for your son to receive SSI, he needs to meet one of the listings in the Child "bluebook". Unlike adults who apply for SSI, there is no work vocational allowance for children. They either need to meet a listing as it is described or SSA will not find them disabled.

Because SSI is a welfare based program, there are also income and asset restrictions. Your son may have no more than 2000 dollars in assets and you can have no more than $3000, that includes a spouse. Any income the household receives will be counted to figure his SSI amount. If they find that he meets a listing but you have too much income or have too many assets, he will be denied. You may appeal, but there's nothing you can do as there is very little leeway