To qualify for benefits from
Social Security, your child must be found disabled and
your family must have income and financial resources that
are below certain amounts set by Social Security.
Children that qualify receive benefits called Supplemental
Security Income (SSI). The maximum monthly benefit
in Connecticut and Massachusetts is a little over $650.
Your child can be found
disabled in two ways:
Your child can have an impairment that
is severe enough to meet or equal the list of medical
conditions that Social Security maintains for the
major body systems. For example, your child will
qualify for disability if he or she has asthma and,
despite taking medication and following doctor's
instructions, your child still has at least 6 asthma
attacks per year that are severe enough to require a
trip to the emergency room or a physician.
Your child is found to have an extreme
impairment in one of the following areas
(Social Security calls these areas of functioning
"domains") or a marked impairment in two
of the areas:
Acquiring and Using Information
Attending and Completing Tasks
Interacting and Relating with
Others
Moving About and Manipulating
Objects
Caring for Yourself
Health and Physical Well Being
Marked Impairments:
Your child has a marked
impairment in a domain if the impairment seriously hinders
your child's functioning in that domain.For areas of
functioning that can be measured with psychological or
educational testing, an impairment is marked if the scores
are between 2 and 3 standard deviations below average.If your child is
younger than 3, he or she has a marked impairment if he or
she functions at a level more than one-half but less than
two-thirds of his or her age.
In regard to the domain of health and physical well
being, your child has an extreme impairment if he or she
is frequently ill or has frequent exacerbations with significant symptoms or signs.
"Frequent" means that the illnesses or
exacerbations (1) happen an average of 3 times a year and
last at least 2 weeks, or (2) happen more than 3 times a
year but do not last for 2 weeks, or (3) happen less than
3 times a year but last longer than 2 weeks.
Extreme Impairments:
Your child has extreme
impairment in a domain if the impairment very seriously
hinders your child's functioning in that domain.For areas of
functioning that can be measured with psychological or
educational testing, an impairment is extreme if the
scores are at least 3 standard deviations below average.If your child is
younger than 3, he or she has an extreme impairment if he
or she functions at a level less than one-half of his or
her age.
In regard to the domain of health and physical well
being, your child has an extreme impairment if he or she
is frequently ill or has frequent exacerbations that are
substantially greater than the requirements for a marked
limitation.
Common Childhood
Disabilities
Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Your child with ADHD
will qualify for SSI disability if your child:
frequently cannot pay attention, is
frequently impulsive and is frequently
hyperactive, and
has marked impairments in two of the
following areas of functioning:
cognitive/communicative
(thinking, speaking and understanding),
social
(getting along with adults and children),
personal
(dressing, hygiene, and taking care of his
or her needs),
maintaining
concentration, persistence or pace.
If your child's condition improves with
appropriate medication (such as Ritalin, Adderall,
Concerta) and psychiatric treatment, he or she
generally will not qualify for disability.
If your child's ADHD is not severe enough to meet
these requirements but still causes marked
impairments, your
child
may qualify for disability if he or she has marked
impairments in one or more additional domains of
functioning.
Learning
Disabilities / Special Education
If your child has a
learning disability, the easiest way for your
child to qualify for SSI disability is if his or
her IQ test scores meet one of the following
requirements:
A
valid verbal, performance, or full scale IQ of
59 or less.
A
valid verbal, performance, or full scale IQ of
60 through 70 and a physical or other mental
impairment that causes additional and
significant limitations of function.
A valid verbal, performance, or full
scale IQ of 60 through 70 and:
(For ages 1 to 3) Your
child functions at a level less than
two-thirds of his or her age in regard to:
gross motor functioning
(walking, running, jumping, balance),
or
social functioning (getting
along with adults and children).
(For ages 3 to 18) Your
child has marked impairments in regard to:
social functioning, or
personal functioning (dressing,
hygiene, and taking care of his or her
needs), or
maintaining
concentration, persistence or pace.
If your child's learning disability is not severe
enough to meet these requirements but
still causes marked impairments,
your child may qualify for disability if he or she
has marked impairments in one or more additional
domains of functioning.
Along with IQ scores, report cards and PPT meeting
reports can help to show the severity of your
child's learning disability. Because
learning disabled children are often in special
education, it is important to provide information
about the additional help provided to children in
the special ed classroom.
When You Need a Social
Security Disability Lawyer,
Rely on Us for Skill,
Determination and Experience.
