Parents’ Guide to Social Security Disability Benefits for Their Children
Having a disabled child is always something that a parent has to prepare for. Whether the child was born disabled or not does not matter in the grand scheme of things.
More often than not, parents are worried about many pertinent things. Who will provide for their children when they are gone? Who will provide for the necessary healthcare that they need? What happens when they themselves become disabled and unable to work? What about now, how will I supplement my income to include the expenses of my child’s healthcare?
The SSA helps answer some of these questions. With the assistance of a social security disability insurance lawyer, you might just get the right kind of help you need, and some of the issues that come up might get resolved.
Here are a few of the frequently asked questions about claiming disability benefits for a child or for adults who were disabled before the age of 22.
Can the child still claim benefits if he/she never worked?
The disability benefit does not require your child to have worked before since it’s going to be paid from your own earning record.
What if my child is currently employed?
Under the laws of the Social Service Administration, your child may be employed but must not be getting “substantial earnings”. The term “substantial earnings” translates to $940 a month, based on the latest SSA ruling (2008).
What work incentives are available for my child?
There are special incentives for disabled people who want to work. There is what the SSA calls the “trial work period”, in which the SSA will allow you to test the waters and see if you are able to fulfill the demands of your job for nine months, all the while still receiving full disability benefits.
This will be in force regardless of his/her salary, as long as your child’s disability continues and that he/she reports his/her work activity. After your trial work months, he/she can still get the usual disability benefits if his/her earnings do not exceed $940 a month.
In case your child’s earnings are substantial, he/she still has five years to decide whether he/she can still continue working. If not, the usual benefits will be reinstated. For a full overview of the work incentives that are available, you may visit the SSA website.
What if my child has already been receiving SSI benefits?
If your adult child is already receiving SSI benefits, it is still possible that he/she may be entitled to disability benefits based on your own earnings. To be sure, just check your child’s existing SSI records. Even if your child is already receiving disability benefits from his/her own work record, he/she may receive extra payment based on your work record. This may be particularly helpful in covering healthcare expenses in the future when you can no longer supplement your child’s income.
What if I never worked?
Unfortunately, if you have not worked, your child will not be able to receive disability benefits.
How is my child’s disability qualified by the SSA?
If your child is 18 years of age or older, the Social Security Administration decides if your child is disabled using the same standard used to evaluate adult applicants. For a more detailed description of this, you can visit the SSA website.
In cases where applications are rejected by the SSA, getting the help of Social Security Disability Insurance Lawyer to handle your appeal may be particularly useful.
Our skilled disability lawyers can handle issues regarding benefits such as disability insurance. You can visit our website at http://www.socialsecuritylawattorney.com/Disability-Lawyers.html to avail of our free case evaluation.
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