Asperger Syndrome Support Group

A few more questions. Does she have to be in the "special" classes in school (high school) to prove she needs these benefits or can she just be on the 504 plan? I have a diagnosis from her neurologist that she has aspergers & I have all her school records which show she has had a problem thru school although it was never diagnosed until a year ago. will this suffice?

And will soc sec pay for backpay for this year of aspergers & we didn't file for benefits?

Sorry - and yet another question.

Can she work (make money) & still receive the benefits from Soc sec or will they take those benefits away?

I still would like answer to the questions but I went ahead & started the application process online.

Main questions I have are:

Will SHE have to be interviewed? (she's 16)
Can she work at any point & still get the SSI or SSDI?

If I remember correctly, SSD is given out only when someone has enough work credits: meaning they have worked a certain amount of time/hours.

You should apply for SSI. That is what I am on right now.

I had to be interviewed for the application the first two times I applied. When I had to start the process all over again since I did not understand I was denied again, I was not interviewed.

You are automatically enrolled in medicare with SSI. At least that is how it is here in WI. I don't know about minors, but as an adult, I am able to get food stamps. Considering food stamps are based on income, and you either have to work for a certain number of hours or not at all if you are disabled, I would think so. But than again, your income(s) would be counted as well so that would affect if you get any food stamps and if so, the amount. That is even if she is no longer a minor. As long as she is living under your roof, the food stamps people take into account your income. As far as the amount of SSI she can receive, the fact she is living under your roof will lessen the amount, but from what I know, not by very much.

I think that although it does help to be in special classes, the fact that she has a diagnoses and is on the plan, will help increase her chances. I also recommend that you go to the school office and ask that her high school records are kept. That will help her later on in life. Otherwise, shortly after graduation, they will be deleted. The basic stuff would remain, but everything else, stuff that might help might not be. My mom had to do that for me.

You can only get back benefits based on when you apply as far as I know. I did not receive back pay except from the date on which I first applied. I may be wrong or thinking about it wrong though.

She can work, although for every two dollars she makes, one dollar will be subtracted from the SSI amount she recieives. Once she is making over a certain amount, I am not sure how much, but it is equal to a full-time job I believe, than she would not recieve benifits. I know here in WI they have a program called Ticket to Work or something (not sure what its called). This program allows a person to try working and getting of SSI, but if they cannot handle it, they are put back on SSI automatically as long as it is within a certain time frame (I believe it is six months). Every state varies though.

Also, you might want to look into the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. I am not sure it is called this in your state or if they have it, but this is a great program. They offer assistance in finding a job and can help pay for college costs (here, I was able to get up to $2,000 a semester as long as I was full-time, in other words, taking 12 credits or more). There are three levels in this program, and which level you are on will determine when you get help. The first level is for those who are on SSI, they are automatically enrolled in the program. The second level is for those with disabilities. However, these people are put on a list. As funding is available, the first person on the list is accepted. The third level is for those who don't have disabilities. It is like the second level, but from what I heard, these people rarely if ever get help.

Thanks Butterfly.

Do you know if minors have to be interviewed? Or just the parent(s)? If she has to be interviewed I will not move forward with it because she will be mortified, thinking she is labeled "disabled" -- and I guess technically she would be...

Honestly, I am not sure. I would go ahead and try any way. The worst that can happen is that she will not cooperate. At least than you know you have tried.

I haven't done this in a while, but did a few years back, so I'm sure it can still be found.

Try Googling "Medicaid Guidelines," "Medicaid qualifications" "Medicaid qualifications for HHS case workers," etc.

Replace "Medicaid" with "TANF" "food stamps" "SSI" "SSD" or whatever else you want to find info on.

The difficulty with applying for anything like this is that even though all this stuff is supposed to be publicly accessible, and it is, it is not easy to find, and depending on your state, the HHS and SS staff isn't always open about it. The usual answers to questions like this are, "just fill out these forms, and we'll tell you if you qualify."

Where I am, you have to apply, probably will be denied, and then have to request a hearing. My family has been denied more than once for various things. We filed for an appeal all but once, and were approved before ever having a hearing. It's a stupid process, and would be far better if you already knew what you qualified for before wasting time filling out forms that won't get you anywhere.

Happily, though the info IS kind of hard to find, if you search doggedly enough, almost all of it IS available right on the Internet.

One way to avoid getting crap forum posts about this stuff is to go directly to the government sites, and search them directly.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/

http://www.hhs.gov/

Make sure to find the specific site for HHS in YOUR state as well.

To clarfiy: I don't mean to imply that what you'll get here is crap (though it sometimes can be). I mean you'll want to avoid finding hundreds of forum posts by searching this stuff in Google. Always better to go direct to the source.

Thank you Sentient. I have gone to most of those sites, it's confusing. I'll set up an appointment with them & talk to them in person.