How Parents Can Apply for SSI Benefits for an Autistic Child?

Autism affects approximately one in 31 children in the United States. It is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects the way a person interacts with other people. Symptoms typically appear during the first two years of a child’s life, so healthcare professionals describe it as a developmental disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder is the term used by physicians and other healthcare professionals because it more accurately reflects how the condition affects each person differently. It also reflects how the levels of care children with autism need can dramatically differ, along with the costs of that care.

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, managed by the Social Security Administration, provides financial assistance in the form of child disability benefits. The application process can be a frustrating experience, but the disability team at Sackett and Associates has been assisting people with their disability claims in Northern California and throughout the U.S. for more than 45 years. Here is an explanation of the autism SSI application process to get you started.

Overview of the SSI program

SSI is a federal program administered by the Social Security Administration. It provides benefits to both disabled adults and children, as well as to people without disabilities who are 65 or older.

It is a means-based program with limitations on the income and resources applicants may have available to them to be eligible for benefits. Applications submitted for adults and children who are disabled or blind must include medical documentation of their condition.

A disability must meet the standard of a definition used by the Social Security Administration to determine eligibility for the SSI program. A child is disabled according to the definition by meeting the following standard:

1. The child must have a medically provable physical or mental impairment or a combination of impairments; and
2. The impairment or impairments must result in marked and severe functional limitations; and
3. The impairment is expected to result in death or has lasted or is expected to last for at least 12 months.

The Social Security Administration has a listing of impairments it considers severe enough to meet the definition of a disability. Autism spectrum disorder, Section 112.10 of the listings for children, requires medical evidence of qualitative deficits in verbal communication, nonverbal communication, and social interaction. There must also be evidence of significantly restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.

The listing for autism also requires evidence of extreme limitation of one or marked limitation of two of at least two areas of mental functioning:

1. Understanding, remembering, or applying information.
2. Interacting with other people.
3. Concentrating, persisting, or maintaining pace.
4. Adapting or managing themselves.

Qualifying for SSI for autistic child by meeting the criteria of the listing requires medical records that include a diagnosis of the condition by a healthcare professional. If you have questions, a disability professional at Sackett Law will be happy to answer them and provide guidance on the eligibility requirements.

The application process for SSI for a child with autism

A parent, guardian, or other person responsible for the care of a child may apply SSI autism benefits on their behalf. The application process can be started online by completing a Child Disability Report. The remainder of the process must be completed during a phone or an in-person interview with a Social Security Administration representative.

Completing the Child Disability Report

A Child Disability Report provides detailed information that will be used to evaluate the child’s medical condition and determine whether they are disabled. Information you’ll need for the interview with a Social Security representative includes:

1. Child’s height and weight.
2. Illnesses, injuries, or mediation conditions.
3. Date medical condition or conditions began.
4. How medical conditions affect the child’s activities.
5. Child’s grade and school information.
6. Hospitals, doctors, clinics, and other healthcare providers that the child has seen in the last 12 months.
7. Names of medications prescribed for the child and identity of the prescribers.
8. Testing conducted on the child, including name of test, provider, and date completed.

A checklist of the information needed to complete a Child Disability Report may be obtained from the Social Security Administration.

Once you complete the Child Disability report, the next step in the application process is either an in-person interview with a representative of the Social Security Administration at a local field office or a phone interview. Social Security then sends the completed application to the Disability Determination Services, a state agency that reviews it to determine SSI eligibility for autism disability benefits.

Get Help With SSI For Autistic Child

If you need assistance with an SSI application for a child, contact Sackett and Associates. They have been providing trusted advice and skilled representation for all issues related to child disability benefits for over 45 years throughout Northern California and nationwide. Learn what they can do for you by contacting Sackett Law today for a free consultation and claim evaluation.