Just like adults, there are many children who are found disabled by the Social Security Administration. If these children’s families meet the non-medical rules related to financial resources, they are entitled to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The definition Social Security uses is “a child under 18 will be considered disabled if he or she has a medically determinable physical or mental impairment or combination of impairments that causes marked and severe functional limitations, and that can be expected to cause death or that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.”
Once the child turns 18, Social Security does an automatic re-determination to determine if the person is still disabled and entitled to SSI. This re-determination is typically done within a year of the person reaching 18. During this medical review, Social Security will ask the SSI beneficiary to supply the following information:
- Names of any medicines;
- Hospital stays and surgeries;
- Visits to doctors and clinics;
- Work activity;
- Counseling and therapy;
- Schools and special classes or tutoring; and
- Teachers and counselors who have knowledge of your condition.
Rather than look at the childhood disability rules, Social Security will now look at the adult disability rules that focus on an applicant’s ability to work. According to Social Security, “the law defines disability as the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity (SGA) by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. Social Security estimates that about one-third of children lose their SSI eligibility following the age 18 re-determination. To learn more about the re-determination process at age 18 click here.
