Hi there, I tried to get SSI for my son and was denied. We are also a one salary family... they told me that you couldn't own a car, house and money in the bank account at the end of them month needed to be under 850.00. The government makes it impossible to collect SSI for children.

Have you tried for medical assistance through your local state/ county?

We are almost being forced into it here in MN as there is only one insurance company that covers most of the therapies. Right now, our health coverage only covers OT and Speech. No ABA or Music therapy....and or anything else.

We have applied for a benefit called Tefra through our local county services. And in return if we are approved, we'll have a family payment to make. But then we can have all of the OT/ Speech/ABA/Music therapy covered under the tefra. We won't need to worry about meeting the 'lifetime' maximum with our health insurance as well. Plus there are other extras that will be covered such as diapers, respit care if needed (and we can basically hire someone even a family member and they'd get paid).
It may cost us a fee each month, but the benefits in return are far greater than what we'll be paying.

And I've been advised by many here that if the kids are dx with Autism, then you pretty much qualify for it.

Does your daughter have any school services? Have you thought about getting a social worker? They could help guide you into some services you may not be aware of.

But I too thought that SSDI would cover for Autism. Maybe check with a disability attorney.

Good luck!

OK. Here goes. Until they are 18 your income is considered theirs. When they reach 18, or a few months before, take everything out of their names including beneficiaries of insurance policies.
I have a special needs trust fund set up for her and a second to die, or universal life insurance policy in place that will go directly into her trust fund when both myself and my ex pass away. There are executors and guardians set up for her for her future. This universal life policy is on two people and only kicks in after the death of the second person on the policy. Go to a special lawyer that sets up special needs trusts for disabled individuals, they know the details (or you can begin research on the web).
Until then, I am not sure. My daughter still lives at home and does not recieve full ssi. They deduct an amount according to the child support she is receiving and also deduct an amount because she is living under my roof. Once she moves out she should get full funding. Hope this helps. God Bless

You applied for the wrong SSI.......you need Supplemental Security Income....which is still income based partially but is mostly based on the childs disability....the max they give is 674 a month per child....but if you qualify for even one dollar you get a Medicade card....

It took 3 months to get Ettes.....I think that they mostly accept kiddos who are delayed at about 50 percent....Ette tested at 2 and a half and hes 5....but its one of those....."when asked" tests and you cant "ask" him anything...

So go to SSI and ask tell them you need to apply for Supplemental Security Income and they should give you a packet and set up a Phone interview....most places dont want you to send the packet back in its really just a guideline for the interview....it tells you what you need and how to get it.....

Good luck..

SSI is Supplemental Security Income for low income families. I am a single mom and make less than $10,000 yearly so I am very familiar with this. My son was diagnosed at 22 months and is now 18. I cannot make over 1200/mo. (I make around $700). I cannot have over $2,000 in assets. Your car and house are NOT counted as assets. The child will also get medicaid as well.
I have no savings to draw from for any of my son's treatments. I barely am able to keep my bills paid because I can only work while he is in school since he needs 24/7 supervision. So he only gets what treatments I can get at very deep discounts because of my financial situation. Sometimes I still cannot afford them. Medicaid does not pay for the supplements,special diets, holistic treatments that help him. I am in every sense of the words...on my own fighting for my son's life. I would much rather NOT be eligible for SSI because my income would be enough to sustain.

my daughter tried twice and was denied, they don't have bank accounts,no savings ,one car because he has to get to work , they have no extras , one thing they do have are lots of bills,they pay for everything out of pocket, what i would like to know is where does all the money go that is raised for autism ,if
there is no cure then it should be given to families that are trying to do whats best for their child

My sons DX was changed form Autistic to PDD-NOS/ ADHD. Since neither is considered Disabling as far as the government is concerned and the added fact that we are a military family we've also been denied several times. I guess we'll just have to wait till my son turns 18. Frustrating isn't it?

My son recieves SSI (Supplemental Security Income) which is different from Social Security. He was able to get it when my husband was making decent money. We owned a 2 year old car when we applied for it. You can own a car, but cannot own more than one. You also cannot have too much money stored away in a bank account- this includes trust funds, college funds, and savings accounts. I am not too sure about retirement funds.
The rules for SSI are the same for every state, however the income limits may be different.
Try applying for SSI instead of Social Security. You do have the right to appeal their denial, and it's best that you do so. Also, you may want to find a lawyer who can help you. You don't exactly have to hire one, but call around for consults and see what they say. Sometimes you can find the help you need just from having a consult.
But getting SSI isn't always a big help. The amount you get each month depends on your income level, and it's different every month. You have to send in copies of pay stubs to them at the end of every month, and the amount he gets is based on that. Here's where the headache comes in... For example, if you get paid weekly or biweekly on the same day of the week, sometimes there will be an extra paycheck in a month. When that happens, you will get a letter about 2 months later stating that you were 'overpaid' on benefits, and you are required to pay that back. Jonathan has recieved anywhere from $12-672 since he started on SSI back in May 2007.
It's a very complicated system, and very difficult to get approved for it.
Good luck to you, and if you have any questions, feel free to message me. I'll try to help the best that I can.
Also- the Autism Society offers no help with this =( I've called them several times trying to see if they had anything to offer as far as advice. They couldn't help at all =(

*hugs*
Melinda

Also, the $1,200 monthly income limit is isn't exactly a limit. Once you make more the $1,201 a month, the amount of benefits you get each month goes down. Anything under $1,200 a month, your benefits stay the same.
That 'limit' may be different depending on family size. Mine is figured for a family of 3. There's probably something on the Social Security website that has the income guidelines. If not, you can always call them and ask them what the income limits are for your family's size.