Children’s Disability Cases
Under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, children with disabilities can receive monthly benefits including cash payments and Medicaid. Eligibility for SSI is determined based on financial and medical criteria. In determining whether the child meets the financial criteria, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will evaluate the income and resources of the parents who are living in the same household as the child. Once a child is determined to meet the financial requirements, the Disability Determination Services, a State agency, will obtain the child’s medical records so as to determine if the child’s medical impairments are of the severity required under SSA’s rules.
According to SSA, a child is considered to be disabled for SSI purposes he or she has a medically determinable physical or mental impairment (or combination of impairments) that result in marked or severe functional limitations and have lasted or are expected to last for at least one year or result in death. A child’s impairments are evaluated in 6 different domains with each representing a different aspect of a child’s functioning. The 6 domains are: 1)Acquiring and Using Information, 2) Attending and Completing Tasks, 3) Interacting and Relating with Others, 4) Moving and Manipulating Objects, 5) Caring for Yourself, 6) Health and Physical Well-Being.
Under Acquiring and Using Information, SSA will evaluate the child’s ability to learn information and how well the child is able to use the information that he or she has learned. In the domain of Attending and Completing Tasks, a child’s ability to focus and maintain attention as well as the child’s ability to carry through and finish activities will be evaluated. In Interacting and Relating with Others, SSA will consider the child’s ability to sustain emotional connections with others, develop language, cooperate with others, comply with rules, and respond to criticism. A child’s ability to move his or her body and move and manipulate objects is considered in the domain of Moving and Manipulating Objects. In the domain of Caring for Yourself, SSA considers how well a child can maintain a healthy emotional and physical state, cope with stress, and take care of his or her own health, possessions, and living area. In the final domain of Health and Physical Well-being, SSA considers the cumulative physical effects of the child’s mental or physical impairments as well as the associated treatments or therapies.
For more information on your child’s eligibility for SSI benefits, contact an experienced Social Security disability attorney at Gardberg & Kemmerly, P.C. today at 251-343-1111 for a free case evaluation. Gardberg & Kemmerly, P.C. represents Social Security disability claimants in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana at all levels of the disability process from initial application to appeals to Federal Court.