Angelman Today July / August edition 2013 | Page 19

Income and resources that will not be deemed includes the following: Welfare payments Public Income Maintenance( PIM), including Temporary Assistance to Needy Families( TANF) and VA pension for veterans Food stamps Disaster assistance Foster care payments Tax refunds on real property( property that includes land and / or buildings) Home grown produce used for personal consumption The SSA also makes the following allowances for living expenses— meaning that the following will be deducted from the amount of income deemed to your child:
$ 365 a month for each additional child that you support. $ 710 a month for a single parent or $ 1,066 for two parents. It is important to note that this amount will not be subtracted for parents or children who already receive public assistance. Once your child turns 18, SSI payments will be based on his or her own earnings record.
Medical Requirements In addition to the previously mentioned technical requirements, your child must also meet very specific medical requirements to qualify for disability benefits. The requirements can be found in a publication known as the,“ blue book”. The SSA’ s blue book contains listings for potentially disabling conditions as well as the specific medical criteria an applicant must meet to qualify under each condition.
The SSA has separate listings for adults and children. The specific medical requirement that your child will have to meet is dependent on his or her age. Your child will have to meet one or more of the following blue book listings to qualify for disability benefits. Section 12.05— Mental Retardation( Adult) Section 112.05 – Mental retardation( Child) Section 110.08 B – Catastrophic Congenital Disorder( Child) You can access these specific listings on the SSA’ s website.
Preparing for the Social Security Disability Application Process Even though your child qualifies for the Compassionate Allowances program, you will still have to provide thorough medical evidence that proves the extent of your child’ s condition. Medical evidence should include records of your child’ s diagnosis, treatments, response to treatments, hospitalization records, and medical test results. You should also collect statements from professional adults that interact with your child on a daily basis. This can include doctors, teachers, and therapists. These statements should provide details about your child’ s limitations and abilities.
The SSA may also ask for evidence of the following: Your child’ s inability to perform age appropriate functions IQ test results showing a marked developmental deficit, based on age Other developmental delays and impairments in physical and mental functioning, again based on age You should collect these documents prior to beginning the application process to prevent any delays in the processing of your child’ s claim.
19
WWW. ANGELMANTODAY. COM JULY / AUGUST 2013 | Angelman Today