Social Security Disability for Children

Welcome to our website. Here we can help assist you in finding information on Social Security Disability Requirements for you or your children. By searching through our site you'll find important information like how to apply for social security disability and what kind of conditions you must meet for social security benefits.

There are a number of factors that must be in place in order for children to qualify for Social Security benefits. The child must be assessed and found to be disabled and the family must also have a low income and limited resources below a certain predetermined level.

A child that eventually qualifies for social security disability for children receives benefits known as Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The amount of payment differs from one state to another because some states add to the SSI payment. Your local Social Security office will advise about your state's total SSI payment e.g. the amount for Massachusetts and Connecticut is slightly over $650.

A child must meet all of the requirements below in order to be considered disabled and therefore eligible for social security disability for children:

• The child must not be working and earning more than $1,000 a month in 2010. (This earnings amount changes every year.) If she or he is working and earning that much money, it will be deemed that the child is not disabled.
• The child must have a metal or physical condition, or a combination of conditions, that result in "marked and severe functional limitations." This means the condition(s) must very seriously limit the child's activities.
• The child's condition(s) must have lasted, or be expected to last a minimum of 12 months; or must be expected to result in death.

If the child's condition(s) results in "marked and severe functional limitations" for at least 12 continuous months, it will be deemed that the child is disabled. But if it does not result in those limitations, or is not expected to persist for at least 12 months, the child will not be deemed to be disabled.

When an application is made for benefits for the child, detailed information about the child's medical condition and how it affects her or his ability to function on a daily basis will be asked for. The Social Security will also ask for permission to be given for the doctors, teachers, therapists and other professionals who have information on the child's condition to send the information to them.

This information will then be forwarded to the Disability Determination Services in the state where a person resides. Doctors and other trained staff in that state agency will review the information, and will request the child's medical and school records, and any other information needed to decide if the child is disabled.

If the state agency cannot make a disability decision using only the medical information, school records and other facts they have, they may ask for the child to take a medical examination or test. Social Security will pay for the exam or test.

It can take three to five months for the state agency to decide if a child is disabled. However, for some medical conditions, payments for social security disability for children are made immediately and for up to six months while the state agency decides if a child is disabled.