If children meet the requirements for disability benefits, they may medically qualify to receive Supplemental Security Income benefits each month. I handle a lot of children’s cases including those that involve children who have mental impairments such as ADHD, specific learning disabilities, and developmental delays. As with all disability cases, documentation is the cornerstone of building a solid case. In children’s cases, some of the most important records to have are the school records. At our firm, we always will order and pay for the records we need to develop your case. In children’s cases, however, I typically depend on parents to help me gather school records. It is usually much faster and less expensive. For this reason, I always encourage parents to keep all records that come from their child’s school and/or teacher. Here’s a list of school-related records you should keep if you’re thinking of filing a claim for Supplemental Security Benefits for your child:
1. All report cards
2. Any notes that your child’s teacher or teachers send home
3. Copies of discipline reports and suspension reports
4. A copy of your child’s Individualized Education Plan (“IEP”)
5. Any forms a doctor may complete for your child (for example, a chronic illness statement or excuse from PE)
6. Any school testing performed by the Board of Education in your county
It’s a good practice to keep copies of everything your child brings home from school. Sometimes this can be difficult if the paperwork in question requires that you sign it and return it to the school. However, taking the time to copy this paperwork before you send it back can be a great help in your child’s Supplemental Security Income case. Just put all of the paperwork in one place. I always ask that my clients bring the paperwork to each of the face-to-face follow-up appointments we have. That way I can review everything and submit it to Social Security accordingly.
An experienced Social Security Disability lawyer, especially one who is familiar with children’s cases, can help sort through these documents and submit them to Social Security.