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Benefits for People With Disabilities and Their Parents

The key federal programs you need to know

By 

Matt Ryan Webber

Updated October 26, 2023

Reviewed by Margaret James

Fact checked by 

Vikki Velasquez

Part of the Series

Financial Planning for Families with Disabilities

If you are caring for a disabled child, you have a wide range of federal and state benefits available to you. These benefits change (but do not necessarily stop) when a child with disabilities turns 18.

If you are looking for an extensive list of benefits available to you or your family as a result of a disability, a great place to start is with the U.S. government website on disability services. Here, you will find plenty of information on all the help you can access.

In this guide, we’ll look at a specific situation: a family caring for a child with a disability. We’ll look at the help available to such a family and how it changes when the child reaches adulthood.

Key Takeaways

• If you are caring for a child with disabilities, you have a wide range of federal and state benefits available to you. One of the most important is Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
• When a child with disabilities turns 18, they are considered an adult, and their disability benefits will change.
• If an adult’s disability was diagnosed before age 22, they may be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). This is still considered a “child’s” benefit to the SSA, though, because it is paid on a parent’s Social Security earnings record.

Family Benefits for Children With Disabilities

One important benefit for families affected by disability is Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This program provides monthly payments to people with limited income and resources. Children younger than age 18 can qualify if they have a medical condition (or a combination of conditions) that meets Social Security’s definition of disability. A young person’s income and resources must fall within the eligibility limits to qualify for this program.1

The amount of the SSI payment for children is different from state to state because some states add to the federal SSI payment. There are about 19 states plus Washington D.C. that do not supplement SSI.2

Your local Social Security office can tell you more about your state’s total SSI payments, and the Social Security Administration (SSA) provides an online calculator that can help you work out how much SSI could be worth.

In addition to SSI, the families of children with a disability might be able to access a range of other benefits:

• Social Security survivor benefits/Social Security disability benefits: If the parent of a child with disabilities retires, dies, or is diagnosed with a disability themselves, their child can receive support via their Social Security benefits.3
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): TANF is designed to help low-income earners take care of their children. The programs provide financial help for parents.4
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): SNAP is the previously named food stamps program. The objective of the program is to assist low-income earners afford food. It used to be done with food stamps but now enrollees in the program use an electronic debit card. There are household eligibility requirements to qualify for the program. Though the program is offered to all qualifying low-income earners, those with disabilities can receive special provisions if they meet the requirements.56
• VA Pensions: Veterans who are both low-income earners and have disabilities receive monetary assistance through Veterans Aid and Attendance benefits. If the veteran has dependant children, then the monetary amount they receive is higher.78
• Medicaid: Depending on the state, if disability SSI benefits are being provided to a child, that child will automatically be eligible for Medicaid. In the states where this rule does not apply, the child will be eligible if they meet specific requirements, such as income thresholds.2
• Medicaid Waiver: The waiver allows states to provide services to individuals who under ordinary circumstances would not be eligible for Medicaid. With a waiver, people can qualify for in-home care instead of going to a long-term care facility.9
• Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP): CHIP benefits are different in every state and so is the name the program goes by; however, the goal of the program in each state is to make sure all children under the age of 19 whose families have incomes over the Medicaid threshold but still can’t afford private insurance, are able to receive healthcare, including dental.1011

Important

You can use the SSA’s online calculator that can help you work out what SSI payments you are entitled to as a family, and then apply for them online.

Family Benefits for Disabled Adults

When a child with disabilities reaches 18, they are considered an adult. As a result, your family’s entitlement to disability benefits will change.

Some adults can continue to receive SSI. However, the amount they receive may change. This is because when they reach 18, the SSA no longer counts the income and resources of family members (except their spouse) when deciding if they meet the financial limits for SSI.12

They also apply the disability rules for adults, which are s