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Kinship Care
Financial Resources
Taking care of your kin's child (grandchild, niece, nephew etc.) can be very expensive. But, caring for your kin's child does not mean you have to do it alone. There are programs available to assist you in this endeavor.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Formerly known as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) provides financial assistance and other social services to parents on behalf of dependent children who are:
- Under age 18, or under age 21 if regularly attending a vocational or technical training course, high school, or college.
- Without parental support or care by reason of death, illness or incapacity, or continued absence of a parent, or unemployment of a father.
- Living with one of the relatives stated in the law father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, brother, sister, stepfather, stepmother, stepbrother, stepsister, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, first and second cousin, and all other relatives as the laws of the Federal Government may include.
- Residents of your state.
- Living in a family home meeting standards of care and health fixed by laws of the State.
To apply for assistance, contact your state or local social services agency to complete an application. When the signed application is received by you may need to provide the following information and verifications before eligibility for payment can be determined:
- Birth certificate of the kinship caregiver and child indicating the relationship.
- Social Security card of the child, or verification that an application has been applied for the child.
- Written proof of resident of the caregiver and the child.
- Proof of income if the relative is applying on behalf of her/him self. If the relative is applying only for the child proof of income may not be required in some states.
- Written proof that a parent is absent at application and re-determination may be needed. Written proof includes legal documents, public records, and written statements from social worker who is assigned to the case.
Food Stamps
Food stamps are free food coupons or electronic benefits given monthly to eligible public assistance and low-income households to help buy more food and improve diets. You do not need cooking facilities in order to receive food stamps.
Food Stamps can be used like money at any participating store, supermarket or food co-op to buy almost anything except non-food items such as paper goods, cleaning supplies, soap products, pet food, alcohol and tobacco. Coupons may also be used to buy seeds and plants to grow food for one's own use.
Food Stamps are given to eligible households. Everyone who lives and eats their meals with you is considered part of your household. In order to determine if a household is eligible, income and assets of all members must be included.
You may be eligible if you:
- Are a resident of your state and a U.S. citizen, or have been lawfully admitted to this country for permanent residence as a legal alien, and
- Are receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or have a low-income.
- Your total household income (before taxes) must meet your state's standard at the time of application.
Medicaid
Medicaid provides medical assistance for individuals and families with low incomes and resources. Medicaid is the largest program providing medical and health-related services to America's poorest people. Each State and the District of Columbia:
- Establishes its own eligibility standards,
- Determines the type, amount, duration and scope of services,
- Sets the rate of payment for services and
- Administers its program.
The Medicaid program varies considerably from state to state. However, there are certain basic services that must be offered to by each state:
- Inpatient hospital services,
- Outpatient hospital services,
- Physician services,
- Medical and surgical dental services,
- Nursing facility services for individuals aged 21 or older,
- Home health care for persons eligible for nursing facility services,
- Family planning services and supplies,
- Rural health clinic services and any other ambulatory services offered by a rural health clinic that are otherwise covered under the state plan,
- Laboratory and x-ray services,
- Pediatric and family nurse practitioner services,
- Federally-qualified health center services and any other ambulatory services offered by a federally-qualified health center that are otherwise covered under the state plan,
- Nurse-midwife services (to the extent authorized under State law), and
- Early and periodic screening, diagnosis, treatment (EPSDT) services for individuals under age 21
Eligibility for Medicaid varies from state to state. To learn more about Medicaid, its eligibility guidelines and services go to www.hcfa.gov/medicaid/mover.htm.
You may also access additional information on health insurance through CWLA's Health Insurance and Child Welfare Fact Sheet and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia by click on to: www.cwla.org/programs/health.
Social Security Benefits
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
What Is SSI?
- SSI is short for Supplemental Security Income. It provides monthly checks to people who are 65 or older, or blind, or have a disability and who don't own much or have a lot of income.
- SSI isn't just for adults. Monthly checks can go to disabled and blind children, too.
- People who get SSI usually get food stamps and Medicaid, too. Medicaid helps pay doctor and hospital bills.
Who Can Get SSI?
- To get SSI, you must be 65 or older or blind or disabled. Blind means you are either totally blind or have very poor eyesight. Children as well as adults can get benefits because of blindness. Sometimes if a person has impaired vision and this condition prevents them from employment; they may qualify for SSI benefits.
- Disabled means you have a physical or mental problem that keeps you from working and is expected to last at least a year or to result in death. Children as well as adults may be eligible for SSI benefits because of their determined disability. When deciding if a child is disabled, Social Security looks at how his or her disability affects everyday life. For more information about benefits for children, contact any Social Security office to ask for the booklet, Benefits For Children With Disabilities (Publication No. 05--10026).
- Before you can get SSI, you also must meet other rules.
- You must live in the U.S. or Northern Mariana Islands.
- You must be an U.S. citizen or national. (Some non-citizens can qualify for SSI. Ask for the fact sheet SSI for non-citizens, Publication No. 05--11051, for information about who can qualify.)
- If you're eligible for Social Security or other benefits, you must apply for them. (You can get SSI and Social Security checks if you're eligible for both.)
- If you're disabled, you must accept vocational rehabilitation services if they're offered.
How to Apply
- Just visit your local Social Security office. Or call 1-800-772-1213 for an appointment with a Social Security representative who will help you apply.
- Parents or guardians can apply for blind or disabled children under 18.
What to Bring
- You should have the following items before you apply. However, if you don't have all of the items listed, sign up anyway. The Social Security representative can help you get whatever is needed.
- Social Security card or a record of your Social Security number;
- Birth certificate or other proof of your age;
- Information about the home where you live, such as your mortgage or your lease and landlord's name;
- Payroll slips, bank books, insurance policies, car registration, burial fund records, and other information about your income and the things you own;
- If you're signing up for disability, the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of doctors, hospitals, and clinics that have seen you;
- Proof of U.S. citizenship or eligible non-citizen status.
- You should also bring your checkbook or other papers that show your bank account number so that Social Security can have your benefits deposited directly into your account. Direct deposit protects benefits from loss, theft, or mail delay. The money is always on time and ready to use without making a trip to the bank. Since August 1, 1996, only people who certify they don't have a bank account receive checks. As of 1999, all beneficiaries must have their monthly benefits deposited in their bank account.
How Much Can You Get?
- It depends on where you live. The basic SSI check is the same nationwide. However, many states add money to the basic check. You can call 1-800-772-1213 to find out the amounts for your state.
Social Security Benefits for Children with Disabilities
The Three Ways A Child Can Get Benefits From Social Security Or SSI
- There are three ways a child might be eligible for benefits from Social Security or SSI. The three kinds of benefits are:
- SSI Benefits For Children: These are benefits payable to disabled children under age 18 who have limited income and resources, or who come from homes with limited income and resources.
- Social Security Dependents Benefits: These are benefits payable to children under the age of 18 on the record of a parent who is collecting retirement or disability benefits from Social Security, or survivors benefits payable to children under the age of 18 on the record of a parent who has died.
Although children eligible for these benefits might be disabled, their disability is not considered to qualify them for these benefits. A child under age 18 is eligible for Social Security when he or she is the dependent child of someone getting retirement or disability benefits, or of a parent who has died. Note: A child can continue receiving dependents or survivors benefits until age 19 if he or she is a full-time student in elementary or high school.
- Social Security Benefits For Adults Disabled Since Childhood: The benefits explained in the previous section normally stop when a child reaches age 18 (or 19 if the child is a full-time student). However, those benefits can continue to be paid into adulthood if the child is disabled. To qualify for these benefits, an individual must be the son or daughter of someone who is getting Social Security retirement or disability benefits, or of someone who has died, and that child must have a disability that began prior to age 22.
Although most of the people getting these benefits are in their 20's and 30's (and some even older), the benefit is considered a child's benefit because of the eligibility rules.
SSI Benefits For Children With Disabilities
Non-Medical Rules
- SSI is a program that pays monthly benefits to people with low incomes and limited assets who are 65 or older, blind, or disabled. Children can qualify if they meet Social Security's definition of disability and if their income and assets fall within the eligibility limits.
- As its name implies, Supplemental Security Income supplements a person's income up to a certain level. The level varies from one state to another and can go up every year based on cost-of-living increases. Check with your local Social Security office to find out more about the SSI benefit levels in your state.
Rules for Children Under 18
- Most children do not have their own income and do not have many assets. However, when children under age 18 live at home (or are away at school but return home occasionally and are subject to parental control), Social Security Administration (SSA) will consider the parent's income and assets when SSA decide if the child qualifies. SSA refers to this process as deeming of income and assets.
- Check with your Social Security office for information about your child's specific situation and for a full explanation of the deeming process.
Rules for Children 18 And Older
- When a child turns 18, Social Security Administration no longer consider a parent's income and assets when they decide if the child can get SSI. A child who was not eligible for SSI before his or her 18th birthday because a parent's income or assets were too high may become eligible at 18. On the other hand, if a child with a disability who is getting SSI turns 18, continues to live with his or her parent(s), but does not pay for food or shelter, a lower payment rate may apply.
How Social Security Administration Decide if A Child Is Disabled For SSI
While your local Social Security office decides if your child's income and assets are within the SSI limits, all documents and evidence pertaining to the disability are sent to a state office, usually called the Disability Determination Service (DDS). A team, comprised of a disability evaluation specialist and a doctor, reviews your child's case to decide if he or she meets the definition of disability.
If the available records are not thorough enough for the DDS team to make a decision, you may be asked to take your child to a special examination that Social Security will pay for. It is very important that you do this, and that your child puts forth his or her best effort during the examination. The results of the examination will not be considered valid unless your child puts forth his or her best effort. Failure to attend the examination, or invalid results due to poor effort, could result in an unfavorable decision.
Defining Disability
To understand how Social Security evaluates disabilities in children, you must first understand how Social Security defines disability in general.
To qualify for a Social Security or SSI disability benefit, a person must have a physical or mental impairment that is expected to keep him or her from doing any substantial work for at least a year. (Generally, a job that pays $500 or more a month is considered substantial work.) Or a person must have a condition that is expected to result in his or her death.
Deciding SSI Disability for Children Under 18
Of course, a child's disability cannot be evaluated using these work-related adult criteria. The law states that a child will be considered disabled if he or she is not working and has an impairment that is as severe as one that would disable an adult.
This means the condition must limit the child's ability to function like other children of the same age so much that the impairment is comparable to one which would make an adult disabled. To make this decision, the disability evaluation specialist first checks to see if the child's disability can be found in a specific listing of impairments that is contained in Social Security's regulations, or if the condition is equal to an impairment that is on the list. These listings are descriptions of symptoms, signs, or laboratory findings of physical and mental problems, such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, or muscular dystrophy, that are severe enough to disable a child. If the symptoms, signs, or laboratory findings of the child's condition are the same as, or equal to, the listing, he or she is considered disabled for SSI purposes.
If a disability cannot be established using the listing criteria, then the disability evaluation team will assess the child's ability to function in everyday life. Children are considered disabled for SSI purposes if their impairment substantially reduces their ability to do the things and behave in the ways that children of a similar age normally do.
To determine the child's ability to function, the disability evaluation team obtains evidence from a wide variety of professionals who have knowledge of how your child functions on a day-to-day basis, and how your child has functioned over time. These sources include, but are not limited to, the doctors and other health professionals who treat your child, teachers, counselors, therapists, and social workers. A finding of disability will not be based solely on your statements or on the fact that your child is, or is not, enrolled in special education classes.
A Special Message To Parents of Children with Severe Disabilities
The disability evaluation process generally takes several months. But the law includes special provisions for people (including children) signing up for SSI disability whose condition is so severe that they are presumed to be disabled. In these cases, SSI benefits are paid for up to six months while the formal disability decision is being made. Of course, these payments can only be made if the child meets the other eligibility factors. The following are some of the disability categories in which Social Security Administration can presume the child is disabled and make immediate SSI payments:
- HIV infection
- Blindness
- Deafness (in some cases)
- Cerebral Palsy (in some cases)
- Down Syndrome
- Muscular Dystrophy (in some cases)
- Significant mental deficiency
- Diabetes (with amputation of one foot)
- Amputation of two limbs
- Amputation of leg at the hip
If special payments are made, and if it is later decided that the child's disability is not severe enough to qualify for SSI, the benefits do not have to be paid back.
Children with HIV Infection
Children with HIV infection may differ from adults in the way the infection is acquired and in the course of the disease. DDS disability examiners and doctors have been provided with extensive guidelines to use when evaluating claims for children involving HIV infection.
Some children may not have the conditions specified in Social Security Administration's guidelines for evaluating HIV infection, but may have other signs and symptoms that indicate an impairment that affects their ability to engage in activities expected of children of the same age. As indicated earlier, this kind of evidence may help show that your child is disabled for SSI purposes.
Social Security Benefits For Older Children With Disabilities And For Adults Disabled Since Childhood
Non-Medical Rules
As indicated earlier, a child under the age of 18, including a child with a disability, qualifies for Social Security benefits simply because he or she is a minor child of a retired, disabled, or deceased worker. In other words, we don't consider a child's disability is not considered when deciding if he or she can get Social Security dependent's or survivor's benefits.
However, when a child who is getting a dependent's or survivor's benefit from Social Security reaches 18, those benefits generally stop unless one of the following conditions is met:
- The child is a full-time student in an elementary or high school. In this case, benefits continue until age 19; or
- The child is disabled. In this case benefits can continue as long as the child remains disabled, even into his or her adult years.
Many times, an individual doesn't become eligible for a disabled child's benefit from Social Security until later in life. Here's an example: John Jones starts collecting Social Security retirement benefits at the age of 62. He has a 38-year-old son, Ben, who has had cerebral palsy since birth. Ben will start collecting a disabled child's benefit on his father's Social Security record.
Medicaid and Medicare
Medicaid
Medicaid is a health care program for people with low incomes and limited assets. In most states, children who get SSI benefits qualify for Medicaid. In many states, Medicaid comes automatically with SSI eligibility. In other states, you must sign up for Medicaid. Some children can get Medicaid coverage even if they don't qualify for SSI. Check with your local Social Security office or your state or county social services office for more information.
Medicare
Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people 65 or older, and for people who have been getting Social Security disability benefits for two years. Because children, even those with disabilities, do not get Social Security disability benefits until they turn 18, no child can get Medicare coverage until he or she is 20 years old.
The only exception to this rule is for children with chronic renal disease who need a kidney transplant or maintenance dialysis. Children in such a situation can get Medicare if a parent is getting Social Security or has worked enough to be covered by Social Security.
Children With Special Health Care Needs
If it is decided that a child is disabled and eligible for SSI, a referral is made for him or her for health care services under the Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) provisions of the Social Security Act. These programs are generally administered through state health agencies.
Although there are differences, most CSHCN programs help provide specialized services through arrangements with clinics, private offices, hospital-based out and inpatient treatment centers, or community agencies.
CSHCN programs are known in the states by a variety of names, including Children's Special Health Services, Children's Medical Services, and Handicapped Children's Program. Even if your child is not eligible for SSI, a CSHCN program may be able to help you. Local health departments, social services offices, or hospitals should be able to help you contact your CSHCN program.
To Learn More about Social Security and SSI
Social Security produces a variety of publications that explain the various Social Security programs, including benefits available to children. For general information, ask for a free copy of one of these publications:
Phone: 1-800-772-1213
Website: http://www.ssa.gov
- Understanding Social Security (Publication No. 05-10024)
- Retirement (Publication No. 05-10035)
- Survivors (Publication No. 05-10084)
- Disability (Publication No. 05-10029)
- SSI (Publication No. 05-11000)
- Medicare (Publication No. 05-10043)
- SSI for Groups and Organizations (Publication No. 05-11015)
- To get copies of these and other publications or to learn more about benefits for children with disabilities, call or visit your local Social Security office.
- Many of these publications are available in Spanish.
- Social Security publications are available on the web at http://www.ssa.gov
- Call the toll-free number 1-800-772-1213. You can speak to a representative between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. each business day. The lines are busiest early in the week and early in the month so, if your business can wait, it's best to call at other times. When you call, have your Social Security number handy.
- Recorded information and services are available 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays.
- People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call the toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on business days.
- The Social Security Administration treats all calls confidentially whether they're made to the toll-free numbers or to one of the local offices.
Social Security Survivors Benefits
"Life Insurance" From Social Security
If you're like most people, you think only of retirement when you think of Social Security. But retirement checks are just one of the Social Security benefits people can get.
Part of the Social Security taxes you pay goes toward survivors insurance. In fact, the value of the survivors insurance you have under Social Security is probably more than the value of your commercial life insurance.
When someone who has worked and paid into Social Security dies, survivor benefits can be paid to certain family members. These family members include widows, widowers (and divorced widows and widowers), children, and dependent parents.
You, along with millions of other people, earn survivors insurance by working and paying Social Security taxes. Right now, 98 out of every 100 children could get benefits if a working parent should die. In fact, Social Security pays more benefits to children than any other federal program.
When you die, Social Security survivors benefits can be paid to your:
- Widow or widower--full benefits at 65 or older or reduced benefits as early as 60. A disabled widow or widower can get benefits at 50-60. The surviving spouse's benefits may be reduced if he or she also receives a pension from a job where Social Security taxes were not withheld. For more information, call Social Security to ask for the fact sheet Government Pension Offset (Publication No. 05-10007).
- Widow or widower at any age if she or he takes care of your child under 16 or disabled who gets benefits.
- Unmarried children under 18 (or up to age 19 if they are attending elementary or secondary school full time). Your child can get benefits at any age if he or she was disabled before 22 and remains disabled. Under certain circumstances, benefits can also be paid to your stepchildren, grandchildren, or adopted children.
- Dependent parents at 62 or older.
Special One-Time Death Benefit
There is a special one-time payment of $255 that can be made when you die if you have enough work "credits." This payment can be made only to your spouse or minor children if they meet certain requirements.
For more information on Social Security benefits or publications log on to their website at http://www.ssa.gov or you can call the toll-free number 1-800-772-1213. You can speak to a representative between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. each business day. The lines are busiest early in the week and early in the month so, if your business can wait, it's best to call at other times. When you call, have your Social Security number handy.
Earned Income Tax Credit
CWLA Comments to the IRS and Treasury Department on the Earned Income Tax Credit and Kinship Families
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