When navigating how to best support their child, parents of children with autism are quite often confronted with an onslaught of concerns. Treatments, advocates, medical aid, therapy, and so on are only a few of the many available possibilities for improving the quality of life. Worrying if they can afford these options only adds to the stress. If your child has autism and you’re a parent, you should know that your child may be qualified for monthly payments from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
What is SSI?
SSI is a government program that provides financial assistance to low-income people and families with few other resources. SSI is available to children with disabilities (including autism spectrum disorder or ASD) so long as they fulfill the program’s medical eligibility and financial limit criteria.
Will my child with autism automatically be eligible for SSI payments?
Due to the spectrum nature of ASD, the degree to which a child experiences symptoms of autism is a significant factor in determining benefits. Children with autistic-like symptoms considered “less severe” may not be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits because their condition does not strictly conform to the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) definition of “disability.”
Children with autism who qualify for SSI must meet the following conditions:
Limitations in social interaction and engagement ability
Deficits in both verbal/nonverbal communication
Extremely narrow, perseverative interests, routines, or habits
It is the responsibility of the parents to present medical evidence that their child experiences these symptoms. In addition, the child must have a significant limitation in at least two of the following areas:
Having the capacity to comprehend, memorize, and apply information
Cooperation with others (interactive play and with others, starting or maintaining conversations, navigating friendships and disagreements, and social cue comprehension)
Focus (avoiding distractions during activities and completing tasks efficiently)
Managing or adjusting to new circumstances (regulating emotions, controlling one’s behavior, protecting oneself from danger, and managing cleanliness/hygiene).
In addition to providing medical records to verify your child’s condition, financial documentation will be required for SSI applications. Paycheck stubs, benefit statements, bank statements, and other documents attesting to the existence of financial assets and resources are all viable examples.
How much can my child with autism receive for SSI?
Some children and their families get over $600 in SSI benefits each month. It is conditional on several factors, including your location. What defines acceptance, how much is paid out, and what resources are considered for eligibility vary from state to state. For more information on your state-specific details on supplemental security income for children with disabilities, please visit lawatlas.org, a digital resource for searching legal differences over time in all states. Please visit the SSA federal site here for general information on SSI for children.
SSI benefits and drawbacks for children with disabilities
If not for SSI, many disabled children would live below the poverty line. On average, SSI pays $650 monthly to each of the 1.2 million disabled children who receive benefits. 11 million American children have specific health care requirements, yet few fulfill SSI’s stringent qualifying criteria. Either their disabilities aren’t “severe enough,” or their families’ income and resources exceed the program’s low thresholds. Since SSI is a needs-based program, applicants must demonstrate that they have minimal income and financial resources available to cover basic living expenses and long-term care. Child applicants for SSI may not be approved if their family’s income is too high.
How will my child receive their payments?
If eligible, a parent is often designated as the payee for a child’s SSI benefits under Social Security legislation. Payees are accountable for managing and spending SSI benefits for the child’s benefit. Recipients of these benefits for children are required by Social Security to use those funds for the children’s “current maintenance,” which includes food, housing, clothes, medical treatment, and hygiene products.
How much will my child’s potential monthly SSI benefit be?
Every SSI recipient’s monthly payment starts at a total benefit amount deemed by their state and is lowered by their “countable income.” The full federal monthly benefit is $841 (2022). Since a child with a disability is not likely to be able to support themselves financially, the SSA counts some of the parental income as helping the child. Both parents’ income and assets will be considered for deductions if they are married and live with the child. If a parent gets Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or another kind of Public Income Maintenance (PIM) payment, and that PIM payment was calculated using the parent’s other income, then that parent’s income is not counted for deeming purposes. Whether or not the child’s income and resources are sufficient to qualify for a monthly SSI payment is determined after these adjustments have been made.
The “Deeming” Formula
The financial resources and income of a family with a child with ASD are determined after a thorough review of the family’s situation. The eligibility of a child for SSI benefits is not often determined by the child’s direct income or resources. The real issue is how much of a parent’s earnings and assets will be included as earnings “deemed” for the child. The SSA will use a formula for deeming family income to the child for each month, provided that either one or both parents’ income does not exceed the limit for the child’s eligibility. The amount of the child’s SSI benefit payment is based on the parent’s income and may change when the parent’s income changes.
Your income
To begin, SSA adds up both parents’ total gross income, including their wages and other sources of money they may have received. Some forms of income, such as food stamps, welfare payments, and tax refunds, are not considered for calculating Social Security benefits. For each child in the family who does not have a disability, Social Security removes a certain amount each month, first from any unearned income (such alimony) until there is none left over, and then from any earnings. The sum deducted here is the difference between an individual ($841) and a couple’s federal SSI allotment ($1261) for 2022. Subtracting $841 from $1261 results in a deduction of $420 per non-disabled child in the home.
Deductions
The following step is a $20 deduction from either the parents’ earned income or their total income if there is no unearned income. After that, Social Security takes $65 out of the parent’s earned income and cuts the remainder in half. If the child resides with just one parent, Social Security subtracts the federal SSI benefit rate ($841) for an individual. If the child lives with both parents or one parent and a stepparent, SSA deducts the rate for a couple ($1261). If more than one child with a disability receives benefits, Social Security will split the entire amount among them.
Stepparents’ income and child support
Depending on the circumstances, SSA may also consider the stepparent’s income and assets if the kid is cohabitating with that person (or an adoptive parent and a stepparent). This is also done while a student is away at school but is under their parents’ supervision while at home for the weekend, on vacation, or during the summer. This process also is referred to as deeming. While Social Security considers child support received on behalf of a disabled child to be unearned income, only two-thirds of the monthly amount is considered for determining eligibility for a disability subsidy. If the non-custodial parent fails to pay child support, this will not affect the kid’s SSI payment since Social Security only considers the child support received.
The necessity of full-time caregiver might threaten a family’s financial stability. Parents are typically put under extreme stress due to the loss of one income and the cost of treatments and therapy. Even though the Social Security Administration (SSA) provides supplemental security income (SSI) to help families of disabled children, few parents are aware of this resource. SSI payments for a child with autism can be a lifesaver for low-income families if they meet the requirements. Talk to our experts at Apollo for more information about finding resources regarding SSI assistance for your child.
SSI and Autism: How Much Does a Child with Autism Get?
When navigating how to best support their child, parents of children with autism are quite often confronted with an onslaught of concerns. Treatments, advocates, medical aid, therapy, and so on are only a few of the many available possibilities for improving the quality of life. Worrying if they can afford these options only adds to the stress. If your child has autism and you’re a parent, you should know that your child may be qualified for monthly payments from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
What is SSI?
SSI is a government program that provides financial assistance to low-income people and families with few other resources. SSI is available to children with disabilities (including autism spectrum disorder or ASD) so long as they fulfill the program’s medical eligibility and financial limit criteria.
Will my child with autism automatically be eligible for SSI payments?
Due to the spectrum nature of ASD, the degree to which a child experiences symptoms of autism is a significant factor in determining benefits. Children with autistic-like symptoms considered “less severe” may not be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits because their condition does not strictly conform to the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) definition of “disability.”
Children with autism who qualify for SSI must meet the following conditions:
It is the responsibility of the parents to present medical evidence that their child experiences these symptoms. In addition, the child must have a significant limitation in at least two of the following areas:
In addition to providing medical records to verify your child’s condition, financial documentation will be required for SSI applications. Paycheck stubs, benefit statements, bank statements, and other documents attesting to the existence of financial assets and resources are all viable examples.
How much can my child with autism receive for SSI?
Some children and their families get over $600 in SSI benefits each month. It is conditional on several factors, including your location. What defines acceptance, how much is paid out, and what resources are considered for eligibility vary from state to state. For more information on your state-specific details on supplemental security income for children with disabilities, please visit lawatlas.org, a digital resource for searching legal differences over time in all states. Please visit the SSA federal site here for general information on SSI for children.
SSI benefits and drawbacks for children with disabilities
If not for SSI, many disabled children would live below the poverty line. On average, SSI pays $650 monthly to each of the 1.2 million disabled children who receive benefits. 11 million American children have specific health care requirements, yet few fulfill SSI’s stringent qualifying criteria. Either their disabilities aren’t “severe enough,” or their families’ income and resources exceed the program’s low thresholds. Since SSI is a needs-based program, applicants must demonstrate that they have minimal income and financial resources available to cover basic living expenses and long-term care. Child applicants for SSI may not be approved if their family’s income is too high.
How will my child receive their payments?
If eligible, a parent is often designated as the payee for a child’s SSI benefits under Social Security legislation. Payees are accountable for managing and spending SSI benefits for the child’s benefit. Recipients of these benefits for children are required by Social Security to use those funds for the children’s “current maintenance,” which includes food, housing, clothes, medical treatment, and hygiene products.
How much will my child’s potential monthly SSI benefit be?
Every SSI recipient’s monthly payment starts at a total benefit amount deemed by their state and is lowered by their “countable income.” The full federal monthly benefit is $841 (2022). Since a child with a disability is not likely to be able to support themselves financially, the SSA counts some of the parental income as helping the child. Both parents’ income and assets will be considered for deductions if they are married and live with the child. If a parent gets Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or another kind of Public Income Maintenance (PIM) payment, and that PIM payment was calculated using the parent’s other income, then that parent’s income is not counted for deeming purposes. Whether or not the child’s income and resources are sufficient to qualify for a monthly SSI payment is determined after these adjustments have been made.
The “Deeming” Formula
The financial resources and income of a family with a child with ASD are determined after a thorough review of the family’s situation. The eligibility of a child for SSI benefits is not often determined by the child’s direct income or resources. The real issue is how much of a parent’s earnings and assets will be included as earnings “deemed” for the child. The SSA will use a formula for deeming family income to the child for each month, provided that either one or both parents’ income does not exceed the limit for the child’s eligibility. The amount of the child’s SSI benefit payment is based on the parent’s income and may change when the parent’s income changes.
Your income
To begin, SSA adds up both parents’ total gross income, including their wages and other sources of money they may have received. Some forms of income, such as food stamps, welfare payments, and tax refunds, are not considered for calculating Social Security benefits. For each child in the family who does not have a disability, Social Security removes a certain amount each month, first from any unearned income (such alimony) until there is none left over, and then from any earnings. The sum deducted here is the difference between an individual ($841) and a couple’s federal SSI allotment ($1261) for 2022. Subtracting $841 from $1261 results in a deduction of $420 per non-disabled child in the home.
Deductions
The following step is a $20 deduction from either the parents’ earned income or their total income if there is no unearned income. After that, Social Security takes $65 out of the parent’s earned income and cuts the remainder in half. If the child resides with just one parent, Social Security subtracts the federal SSI benefit rate ($841) for an individual. If the child lives with both parents or one parent and a stepparent, SSA deducts the rate for a couple ($1261). If more than one child with a disability receives benefits, Social Security will split the entire amount among them.
Stepparents’ income and child support
Depending on the circumstances, SSA may also consider the stepparent’s income and assets if the kid is cohabitating with that person (or an adoptive parent and a stepparent). This is also done while a student is away at school but is under their parents’ supervision while at home for the weekend, on vacation, or during the summer. This process also is referred to as deeming. While Social Security considers child support received on behalf of a disabled child to be unearned income, only two-thirds of the monthly amount is considered for determining eligibility for a disability subsidy. If the non-custodial parent fails to pay child support, this will not affect the kid’s SSI payment since Social Security only considers the child support received.
The necessity of full-time caregiver might threaten a family’s financial stability. Parents are typically put under extreme stress due to the loss of one income and the cost of treatments and therapy. Even though the Social Security Administration (SSA) provides supplemental security income (SSI) to help families of disabled children, few parents are aware of this resource. SSI payments for a child with autism can be a lifesaver for low-income families if they meet the requirements. Talk to our experts at Apollo for more information about finding resources regarding SSI assistance for your child.
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