How to ensure the financial future of your child - social security disability

[Jhhnn]

--NPR Unfit for Work the Startling Rise of Disability in America

Get well. Get a job. Lose your government check... Lose medicare...

What could possibly go wrong?

Uno

One mother told me her teenage son wanted to work, but she didn't want him to get a job because if he did, the family would lose its disability check.

One mother? That's cause for the usual Teahad rage & scorn of the less fortunate? Really?

 

[Svnla]

we can always print more money.

For now but not forever.

I haven't hear/read about a country ever able to borrow money to achieve prosperity/wealth.

 

[nanette1985]

My nephew is 3 years old and depending on who you talk to, he's either got no autism, slight autism, or a full form of autism. In doing perliminary reasearch, autism isn't a single disease right? it's more of a condition that can be caused by a wide spectrum of causes. . it's rather complicated and diagnosis can vary. Do the symptoms improve/worsen over time or is it a day by day thing? I know it's very hard for my sister-in-law

According to my special-needs lawyer, the autism business right now is a get-rich scheme for MD's.

Nobody knows what causes autism.

While there are a lot of different elements to autism, the main thing you need to deal with is severity of disability. If it is possible for someone to say "no autism", then it isn't. disabling autism is obvious. My autism parent support group used to use the "poop on the ceiling" test to figure out which families would fit into our group. If you don't know what the poop on the ceiling thing is, your nephew isn't all that disabled - and be thankful for that.

Symptoms do change over the years, but it's not a day by day thing.

My son was born with seizures and other issues, and after a lot of intense testing, was diagnosed in the hospital with autism etc. He's the youngest of 4 and it was obvious that he wasn't like his older siblings.

He was born in 1989 and I've watched the autism field change since then.

I can see that dealing with autism might be be difficult these days - when my son was diagnosed, there was no question about what he had. And no questions about what kind of treatment to persue. There wasn't any real treatment then, except to institutionalize him. My best friend has a down syndrome son, and we have a lot in common. But my autistic son has developed into a somewhat functioning adult - and her son never will.

Anyway, best to your nephew and his family. Love him exactly the way he is.

Edit to add: No, my son is not on SSDI. We made the decision when he was 18 - which is when it's easier here to get on SSDI - because the schools help with it.

We figured that he could either learn to deal with SSDI - which is complicated; or he could learn to deal with some part of the real world. It's working for him so far.

 

[ModerateRepZero]

I do not know how much the families I referred to are drawing. Its nothing I cared to ask about.

One of the linked articles in this thread says a child is drawing $700 a month, plus is on medcaid.

Didn't read the article, but either the child is receiving SS Disability (adult or child) benefits and has Medicaid separately, or has SSI disability and is on Medicaid because the 2 are linked.

For SSI, here's the basic amounts:

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/SSI.html

exact monthly amount will vary depending on factors such as the living arrangement, what state (some states such as NY will have a state supplement amount in addition to the federal amount), and countable income.

 

[JEDI]

Didn't read the article, but either the child is receiving SS Disability (adult or child) benefits and has Medicaid separately, or has SSI disability and is on Medicaid because the 2 are linked.

For SSI, here's the basic amounts:

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/SSI.html

exact monthly amount will vary depending on factors such as the living arrangement, what state (some states such as NY will have a state supplement amount in addition to the federal amount), and countable income.

wow.. $710/month is not a lot of $ but I guess it's free cash to the kid's welfare mom w/all the free time in the world.

but I can see this screwing up the kid as s/he becomes an adult.
1st jobs are usually near minimum wage. why should he work for not much more $ when the govt pays him to sit on his ass?

so he has no motivation to get his 1st job.
or tries it and sees that free $ sitting on his ass is better.

so he never gets the desire/ambition to rise above the minimum wage job.
and sits on his ass.
oh.. plus as an adult he's probably also now getting welfare $ too...

am I close?

 

[KB]

Anyone watch the 60 minutes program - Disability, USA? Although they are late to the game, their coverage was good: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50156574n

 

[Texashiker]

wow.. $710/month is not a lot of $ but I guess it's free cash to the kid's welfare mom w/all the free time in the world.

My daughter works at a local fast food place. She brings home around $700 a month after taxes.

 

[unokitty]

Senate panel uncovers millions in disability fraud

WASHINGTON – A judge, an attorney and a number of doctors pocketed more than $4.5 million by fraudulently ensuring that disability claimants would receive Social Security benefits, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs reported Monday.

Program is going to run out of money soon...

Won't someone think of the lawyers?

What part of shut up and pay more taxes, don't you understand?

Uno

 

[Texashiker]

Program is going to run out of money soon...

What started out as a program to help people has been exploited to the point where it is going to go broke.

That is ok though, we can always print more money to bail out social security disability.