Tips on Applying for Disability Benefits for a Child with Down Syndrome

Down syndrome and mosaic Down syndrome can qualify your child medically to receive disability benefits through the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.

 Tip #1: Understand the SSI program

It is important to understand that medically qualifying is only part of the eligibility determination process. There are also financial considerations the SSA reviews when making a decision on your child’s eligibility for SSI. This is because SSI is a need-based program for which applicants must have very limited income and other financial resources to pay for their everyday needs.

When deciding if children qualify for SSI, the SSA looks at the financial resources of the child, including sources like child support. They also factor in a portion of the income of the child’s parents as well as other sources of financial resources the parents may have. You can learn more about the financial rules for SSI here: http://www.ssa.gov/ssi/

 Tip #2: Understand how your child can medically qualify for benefits 

The SSA has set procedures for reviewing the medical records of applicants to determine if they are medically eligible for benefits. Your child’s records will be reviewed in relation to listings in the Blue Book, which is a manual of disabling conditions and the medical evidence needed to prove disability.

For Down syndrome, the Blue Book listing appears in Section 110.06. This listing requires one of the following:

Social Security Administration’s Ending the Use of the “R-word”

from The Arc:
In an historic change for people with intellectual disabilities (ID), the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced its intent to stop using the phrase “mental retardation” and start using “intellectual disability” in its official Listing of Impairments.
This change, which The Arc and many other organizations advocated for, comes a little over two years after President Barack Obama signed Rosa’s Law.  In 2010, The Arc was very involved in efforts to end the use of the “r-word” and worked to enact Rosa’s Law, which substituted the stigmatizing word with the terms “intellectual disability” and “individual with an intellectual disability” in federal health, education, and labor policy statutes.  While the legislation did not cover programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, it was an important stepping stone for shaping future legislation and efforts that will transform these outdated terms in all federal laws.  The Social Security Administration’s actions are a welcome result of the success of Rosa’s Law.
“Changing how we talk about people with disabilities is a critical step in promoting and protecting their basic civil and human rights.  This is an important moment for people with disabilities because Social Security is a lifeline to so many – it allows people with ID to live in their communities and be as independent as possible.  And now, the language the agency uses will reflect the respect people with ID deserve,” said Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc.
The proposed regulation published today has a 30 day comment period, and we encourage people to submit comments in support of the proposed regulation online by February 27, 2013.