SSD Disability

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Do Kids Get Social Security Disability?

Social Security disability is not a children’s disability program, but an adult disability program. That is not to say that children cannot receive a monthly benefit from Social Security. The dependents of disabled individuals can receive monetary benefits if there is enough money payable on the disabled individual’s disability record to pay benefits to their dependents. Technically, however, a dependent’s benefit though based upon a disabled person, is not a disability benefit.

There are only two ways children can receive disability benefits through Social Security. Adult children can receive disability benefits from a parent who is deceased, retired, or disabled if they are not married, medically disabled prior to age twenty-two, and have not performed substantial work activity. These adult children have to go through the same adult medical determination that all Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability claimants go through. If they are found medically disabled they will receive a disability benefit based upon their parent’s earnings record.

The second way a child can receive disability from Social Security is through the SSI, Supplemental Security Income disability program. Parents can file for disability for their children through this program, if their income and resources are below income and resource limits established by Social Security.

Most would say the impairment listing criteria for children’s disability claims is more lenient than adult impairment listing criteria. Many children who receive children’s Supplemental Security Income disability benefits are terminated when they have their age eighteen reevaluation for disability benefits, because their impairment is evaluated under adult listing criteria. Perhaps the impairment listing criteria is more lenient in children’s disability claims so that children can get help earlier with their disabling condition(s) and possibly not need disability as adults.

To recap, children can receive disability benefits as children through the SSI disability program if they are found medically disabled and their parent or parents meet the income a resource limits established by Social Security. Or, adult children can apply for disability based upon their parents earning record if they have not married or performed substantial work activity, if they are found to be disabled prior to the age of twenty-two.