Disability?

[Liahona]

I am thinking of applying for disability for difficult child 1. I don't know much about it though; especially when it comes to children on it. Is disability for those who will never be able to get a job? He has dreams of becoming a scientist. Yes, its forever down the road and a lot of work to get there. BUT, he might make it. As long as he has a glimmer of hope of realizing his dream should I not apply?

 

[flutterby]

You have no way of knowing at this time if he'll be able to have a job in the future. That doesn't play into it. It's the disability itself, and your income. There is an income limit for SSI. Check out ssa.gov. I've heard it's become even more difficult than before to get SSI for a child.

 

[susiestar]

I would look up the "rules" but NOT worry about the future. It would help provide for therapy and equipment that could be very helpful. It also is helpful if your child needs inpatient care. I would apply - you have LITTLE to lose. I would call and ask, with-o leaving your name, if his father must know and/or sign off. If that is the case I would start the paperwork but NOT do anything until you can make some progress getting xsatan out of his life. I am wondering if knowing difficult child has an income would make ex more likely to insist on more contact so that he can get the $$.

Being on disability does NOT mean you cannot go to college or get a job. It WILL mean that you lose the disability if you earn more than a certain amount of money, so if difficult child studied and became a scientist, then he would not NEED the disability. SSI might mean he qualified for different financial aid but I do not know how that would work.

It cannot hurt to get the paperwork done. There are a LOT of lawyers who help people get disability. Many of them give a free consultation. It cannot hurt to make an appointment with a couple of attys who do the free consult and ask how this would affect difficult child's future, how much ex would be involved/know, and if maybe the documents used to prove PTSD could then be fled iwth the judge who deals with custody as part of the reason that x should not see difficult child. Esp if a couple of docs state that the main reason for the ptsd/anxiety is because the behavior of ex.

 

[DammitJanet]

You should definitely apply for him. I am going to assume from your signature that you probably get disability. If so, you probably will qualify for your difficult child income-wise. I am sure you have adequate medical records on your difficult child. The basic criteria for a child to get disability is if he can function at the same level as his peers with the disability he has.

People have this misconception that being on disability is some sort of stigma that will keep someone from getting into college or getting a good job in the future. That is not true. If he is still disabled as an adult and you are on disabled when he turns 18, he will go from SSI to SSDI if that is what you are getting. I am assuming you understand what I am talking about. Depending on the amount you get, he may get a combination of SSI and SSDI which means he will continue to get medicaid plus medicare.

He would be eligible for scholarships if he does well in school or he could go through Voc Rehab.

 

[keista]

I was recently told just to apply. Don't worry if he does or doesn't qualify, just apply. Oddly enough, I was told to apply for my son to get him thorough evaluations. If SSI doesn't like what he already has, evaluation-wise, they'll get more done.

I've also considered applying in the past for my son so there is a precedent set for him. "Our" kids have lifelong issues, but they are issues that can ebb and flow in intensity. I figured if I got it for my son while he was young, it would be a record for the future. He would loose it if he found work, but what if he can't find work again when he's older? Aspies are notoriously horrible at interviews. Also, having been on SSI kinda "validates" the disability so employers would have to make "reasonable accommodations".

 

[ready2run]

my difficult child gets disability. he actually gets money from two different disability places. if he ever gets into college they will continue to pay for him while he is there and pay his tuition. it depends where you live. i also get disability because i have high levels of stress and anxiety. i take it because i had to give up my career to stay home and care for difficult child full time as no one else is able to do it. its not ALOT but it's ENOUGH

 

[DDD]

difficult child#2 received disability payments from around eight to eighteen with ADHD and AS as his qualifers.
Once he was an adult he was turned down twice because the qualifer for over eighteen is "if the client is capable of repetitive work". DDD

PS: GFGmom collected ten years of checks with-o me knowing about them. Ugh!

 

[confuzzled]

apply.

there are (family) income limits, so you may not qualify on that part. but jump through the medical hoops so that its on record that the income limit is the only thing that excludes him. for all the reasons mentioned above: set precendent, get it on record, etc.

also...my memory on this is faint, so double check this...

if a child is out of the home (hospital, etc) for 30 calendar days starting in the first day of the month, your income level no longer applies. now, they would only get a stipend check...used to be like $32 or something crazy...but more importantly, in many states, it automatically qualifies one for medicaid.

if one is a long term patient, medicaid eligibility is often worth its weight in gold.

so there is good reason for it.

**DDD, i'm shocked at this "if the client is capable of repetitive work". i'd sooooooo appeal. i'd imagine anyone is capable of repetitive work--i cant believe that was a stipulation. i'd be armed with as many dr reports as you can get your hands on, along with any other reports you can get your hands on and apply. i think we provided 11 different subspecialies, one IEP, one DDD report, and a brief synopsis, if you can call any of that brief, lol. he was approved in roughly 2 months, first time out. thats just insane yours wasnt.

 

[DDD]

We did appeal and I was with difficult child#2 for the meeting. I had a briefcase full of documentation going back to when he was five years old. I had current resports from different experts identifying him ADHD, SA, AS and BiPolar (BP) plus the IEP's and the two neuro/psychiatric reports. The Appeals rep was a bright intelligent woman who listened well and also was communicative. The hour long meeting ended with her telling me that she genuinely hoped that difficult child#2 would be approved and would put a priority on the processing since I had supported living ready for him with a Job Coach on premises.

One thing that totally shocked me (and it takes alot to shock me, by the way) was that all records prior to the age of maturity are not given weight....they are referenced but are usuable for juvenile assessment not adult. I still was slightly optimistic as all those diagnosis's were from current medical professionals who currently were treating him. She did forewarn me about "repetitive tasks". I was familiar with the term because difficult child#1 (Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)) was turned down for the same reason. Sigh.

The "kicker" was receiving the official denial which listed he was capable of repetitive tasks and at the bottom of the report identified as something like Suggested Occupations it listed two types of work he could pursue. One was factory work. We have no factories within a hundred miles. The second suggested occupation was "potato chip cutter". Yep! Somewhere in an underdeveloped country there may be such an occupation but I'd bet my bottom dollar that US potato chips are cut by huge factory machines! Crazy!

His Mom, known as GFGmom, is appealing the appeal. I'm trying to get him some job training and employment. DDD

 

[buddy]

ARC has specific help for people applying for SSI. I have our addy for this area: http://www.arcgreatertwincities.org/ and you can then click on the national link to compare...I put the local one because sometimes I think you get more specific info there. AND by the way as you click thru the tabs there you will see me and difficult child (no identifiers but we were a yearly profile years ago and it looks like he is signing the letter H so I think that is why they keep us there-even though he doesn't use sign language anymore) I'm blonde, in green and he is AA/Hisp and there are two girls next to us sisters who actually were friends at that age...one with DS. He also has a huge picture on the PACER building wall from a technology evaluation. I walked by it and was like...hey! That's my kid (I had signed a release when they took the pics but didn't know they used it) May be a tough kid but he is really cute.

 

[Liahona]

Thank you for all the responses. Are there limits on what it can be spent on? I want him to take self-defense classes and go places to re-build sibling relationships. Income limits are not normally a problem with us.

 

[InsaneCdn]

As I understand it, usually there's enough stuff you're already spending, that matches what they allow for this to be spent on. So, you spend this $$ on those things, and your own $$ on the additional stuff... it comes out the same either way.