need any info

[JoyceHansell]

My 15 year old son was recently hospitalized for a suicide attmpt. We now have his in a theraputic boarding school. He has been diagnosed with ODD, ADHD, and devere depression. He also tested positive for xanex and adderol neither were his. He also is a cutter. They currently have him on 3 medications and his residential treatment is costing a fortune. Does anyone know if we would qualify for SSI for him?..Thank you...Joyce

 

[smallworld]

Joyce, welcome. I'm glad you found us, but sorry you needed to.

My own son is in a residential treatment center so I have some sense of how costly these programs can be. With the severity of what's going on with your son, it sounds as if it's the right place for him to be. Have you looked into whether your health insurance will cover a portion? How about educational loans? I'm not familiar with SSI qualifications, but have you talked with anyone at the SSA yet about how to apply? I know it can be a lengthy process.

Again, welcome.

 

[TPaul]

Joyce,
Welcome to the board, and let me offer you a soft hug of understanding and a vote of confidence that you will be able to make it through this difficult time.

I would contact the S S A and begin the process for S S I. Small world is right that it can be a lengthy process sometimes. I would suggest that you try contacting an attorny that specializes in working with the SSA. They can help the process along much faster many times than trying to wing it on your own. It will have a cost, but many time they get a portion of an award as payment and surely would be cheaper than the cost you are paying for the current hospital for yourself.

Again, so glad you found the board. So many people here who do understand and can offer help and encouragement and can understand what you feel and what you are going through.

t. paul

 

[susiestar]

Welcome! I am so glad to meet you, but sorry you needed to come find our forum.

It certainly sounds as if your son is in the right place. It must have been terrifying to find out all that had been going on. So much of this is so scary to us parents.

I do not know about SSI but it cannot hurt to apply for that and maybe medicaid. If he qualifies for SSI then I think he also gets medicaid, but given what he needs it may be that he can get medicaid regardless of your income. I THINK it is faster to get medicaid for a child. Do not let that stop you from applying to SSI also. When he is out you may need that for him, esp as he becomes a new adult.

I would call and start the process over the phone. Then if you get medicaid it will come sooner thanSSI so you have some help in place soon. going ahead with SSi will mean that you also get some help for things medicaid doesn't cover - like groceries and bills.

A few things about our forum:

~ Privacy matters. This is a public forum and is about mental health/behavioral health issues. We don't use last names, identifying info like addresses (State is OK if you want to do that, but not street names or addresses or zip codes.) because anyone, even the mentally ill or abusive or dangerous people can find that info. If you are having trouble with a teacher or the school or school district they can also find this info - and use things against you.

~ We have several different forums here at "the Board". One is for general info where we discuss our difficult children. We have another for topics that do not include our difficult children and is called "Watercooler" . There are quite a few other areas to explore also.

We have a lot of info on schools, insurance, etc... in some of the forums, plus forums for Teens and Substance Abuse, Parents Emeritus (for those of us with difficult children who are over 18), and more.

Lots of hugs!

 

[klmno]

Welcome! My son was cutting and has been hospitalized several times. Currently he is incarcerated because he was on probation so I couldn't get Residential Treatment Center (RTC) approved. But, I had funding lined up- see if you can get him on medicaid. In some states (I think it goes by state), if the child is not living at home for 30 days or more, you can get them on medicaid based on their salary, not the whole family's. That gives the difficult child the level of medicaid that will pay for Residential Treatment Center (RTC) medical care. The sd has to pay a certain amount for the educational component (unless the sd places him but it sounds like they did not). That did leave a percentage that I would still have to pay but it was much less than the full amount.

Also, I talked with the admin person at the Residential Treatment Center (RTC) and she had some good pointers- you might try that, too.

 

[Mayapple5]

I am currently reading a book called "Beyond Consequences, Logic, and Control" (A very good book for parents of difficult child kids) It has a very good chapter on self-injury. It makes total and complete sense out of why these kids hurt themselves. I have a 17 year old granddaughter who has been slashing for several years now, and after reading this book and especially this chapter I can understand why she has done this. Unfortunately I am not in a position to help her.

The premise is they are acting out of fear. They have no one to turn to for love. And by slashing they are releasing the pain, they watch the pain run out. By taking away the instrument they use it is like taking away a smokers cigarettes, he won't stop, he'll go out and buy more. There will always be away they can do it. There is love missing, a secure attachment, relationships with primary people in their lives. This is an emotionally driven behavior and has a physiological payoff. The book suggests you trust your calm and loving presence, attention, understanding, and connection is what they need to shift out of this behavior. Not a lot of therapists telling them what they should do, but a loving member/preferrably a parent, supporting them and getting in touch with their own feelings and getting down to the level where the "child" is.

 

[gcvmom]

Here's the info I got on SSI last night from my NAMI Basics class:

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a Federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues, not Social Security Taxes, so it is available to individuals who have no work history -- including children. It is designed to help elderly and disabled people who have little or no income by providing cash assistance to meet basic needs. Your child under 18 years of age can qualify if he meets Social Security's definition of disability for children and if his parent's income and resources fall within the eligibility limits. The amount of SSI payments differs from state to state.

Your child must meet all the following criteria to be considered disabled, and therefore eligible for SSI:

• Child must not be working and earning more than $900 a month (2007 figure, amounts change each year)
• Child must have a physical or mental condition, or combination of conditions, that results in "marked and severe functional limitations." This means that the condition(s) must very seriously limit your child's activities
• Child's condition must have lasted, or be expected to last at least 12 months; or must be expected to result in death

Contact your local Social Security office, or go to their website, to initiate the application process if you believe your child may be eligible for SSI benefits. The application process requires a great deal of information, including the following:

• detailed information about your child's medical condition and how it affects his ability to function on a daily basis
• permission to secure records from all doctors, teachers, therapists and other professionals who have information about your child's condition

You are encouraged to include any and all documentation that you have on your child with the application form, this can speed up the process.

The information collected, along with the completed application, is submitted to Disability Determination Services (DDS) in our state (CA). Doctors and other trained experts review the information provided, and request any other records that they feel may be helpful. If a decision cannot be made based on your child's records, DDS will arrange a separate medical examination test, which they will pay for, to obtain additional information to help make the decision.

Detailed information is included in the Additional Resources section of this class, or you can locate it online at www.ssa.gov/pubs/10026.html .

Hope that helps get you started. Good luck!

One other thing, usually if you qualify for SSI, you also qualify for Medicaid. AND once your qualifying child reaches the age of 18, they have to be re-evaluated to determine if they still meet the criteria for the aid.

 

[JoyceHansell]

First of all I would like to Thank everyone for their help. When I say this was a slap in the face it really was. I guess I should have seen it coming but I didnt. Billy has always had mood swings which we chalked up to hormones and some problems in school that we thought were boys will be boys. This school year we new something was going on. He was cussing and yelling in class, not doing his work and just getting in trouble. I am kind of thnakful he got caught with drugs. If he didnt get caught he wouldnt have tried to kill himself we would have never taken him to the ER and he would have never been admitted to a hospital. We have the worst insurance in the world. Everyday they made the hospital get approval for him to stay because it was an acute adolecent wing and they didnt want to pay the high price of him being there. Then when we found out he wouldnt be ready to come home when he was being discharged from there we started looking into residetial treatment programs, boot camps, wildreness programs and theraputic boarding schools. Our insurance then told us they would not pay for any of them or help pay for them. We ended up looking at 23 progrmas and had to clear out Billys college fund to pay for the theraputic boarding school. He will be there until the end of August. It was the hardest decision I ever had to make or do. Taking my son 4 and half hours from home and leaving him with strangers. He is currently on 3 medications. They said they believe he was self medicating with the drugs. As for the cutting I was a cutter when I was younger. It was easier to hurt on the outside then on the inside. I knew depression was hereditary but I didnt know self mutilation was. Plus we were tole for a boy to do it is extremly rare. I am going to apply for Social Security for him and hopefully will get it to help pay for some of his needs....