Caring for your disabled adult child is a great responsibility. While every parent would go to the ends of the world for their child, parents taking care of their disabled child at home face a lot of stress, especially financially.
Which Benefits Are Available To You?
Federal and state benefit programs are available to families just like yours. They exist to assist disabled adults who live with their parents. While some benefits may be paid directly to the disabled adult, others may be paid to you, the caregiver, to assist you in providing care.
Federal Assistance Programs For Disabled Individuals
For disabled adults, two primary federal programs provide benefits — Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
SSDI is a federal disability income program for adults who could previously work but cannot do so anymore due to their disability.
Benefits are paid for by the social security tax that each employee contributes from their paychecks. Therefore, if your child worked prior to developing a disability, he or she would be automatically eligible.
Childhood Disability Benefits (CDB)
Even if your adult child has never worked, they may still be eligible for SSDI. Their entitlement to benefits would be contingent upon their earnings (or their parents or guardians).
Benefits would be funded, in this case, by the social security tax that you have been paying into the system. This benefit is referred to as Disabled Adult Children (DAC) or Childhood Disability Benefits (CDB).
In other words, federal benefits are offered to handicapped people who worked prior to their impairment. Additionally, they may be qualified through you if they have never worked.
Supplementary Social Income (SSI)
If SSDI is not a choice for your kid or yourself due to your job and social security insurance history, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) may be an option. SSI benefits are based on your child's income and assets, and the program is intended to assist low-income disabled adults.
As with SSDI, eligibility requires meeting the SSA's definition of disabled, which is unable to engage in significant gainful employment.
According to the information provided by the SSA, you should apply for benefits as soon as you become disabled. You can do this in a couple of ways. Below are the two most conventional ones:
- The Disability benefits application can be completed online, or you can apply by calling their toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213, between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. A representative can assist you in making an appointment to apply.
- The toll-free "TTY" number for the deaf and hard of hearing is 1-800-325-0778, available between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
Conclusion
Taking care of your disabled adult child at home is challenging. While we love our children and want to make their lives easier, it can be a strain on your budget. This is why we urge you to reach out to the authorities and apply for benefits as soon as possible.
If you want to know more about what you can do to help your adult child, check out Disability Help’s article discussing the telltale signs your disability claim will get approved.
