Social Security Disability Benefits for Dependents

Around 4.4 million children receive approximately $2.5 billion each month because one or both of their parents are disabled, retired, or deceased. Those dollars help to provide the necessities of life for family members and help to make it possible for those children (dependents) to complete high school. When a parent becomes disabled or dies, Social Security benefits help to stabilize the family’s financial future.

Who can qualify?

Your child can get benefits if he or she is your biological child, adopted child, or dependent stepchild.

To get benefits, a child must have:

• A parent(s) who is disabled or retired and entitled to Social Security benefits; or
• A parent(s) who died after having worked long enough in a job where he or she paid Social Security taxes.

The child also must be:

• Unmarried;
• Younger than age 18;
• 18-19 years old and a full-time student (no higher than grade 12); or
• 18 or older and disabled (if the disability started before age 22).

How long do benefits continue?

Benefits stop when your child reaches age 18 (unless your child is a student or disabled).

If your child is a student: Three months before your child’s 18^th birthday, Social Security will send you a notice that benefits will end at age 18 unless your child is a full-time student at a secondary (or elementary) school. If your child is younger than 19 and still attending a secondary or elementary school, he or she must notify Social Security by completing a statement of attendance that has been certified by a school official. The benefits then will usually continue until he or she graduates, or until two months after reaching age 19, whichever comes first.

If your child is disabled: Benefits will continue at age 18 to a child who is disabled. Childhood disability benefits are also payable after attainment of age 18, if the disability began before the age of 22.

How much can a family get?

Within a family, a child may receive up to one-half of the parent’s full retirement or disability benefit, or 75 percent of the deceased parent’s basic Social Security benefit. However, there is a limit to the amount of money that can be paid to a single family. The family maximum payment is determined as part of every Social Security benefit computation and can be from 150 to 180 percent of the parent’s full benefit amount. If the total amount payable to all family members exceeds this limit, each person’s benefit is reduced proportionately (except the parent’s) until the total equals the maximum allowable amount.

If you or someone you know is unable to work due to a medical condition, please contact us for a free case evaluation!

Read more here: https://www.ssa.gov/planners/disability/dfamily4.html

By: Joyce Trudeau of Premier Disability Services, LLC^®

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This October, we are proud to support National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the United States. According to leading statistics, approximately 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer at some point in their lifetime.

A diagnosis of breast cancer will almost always require surgery and/or radiation. Most breast cancer patients will also require chemotherapy. Without insurance, the costs of these treatments can be astronomical. Of the 12 drugs approved for cancer treatment by the FDA in 2012, 11 of them cost $100,000 or more for just one year of treatment. The 12th drug costs $70,000 per year.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with breast cancer, there could be help available for you. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers financial resources for men and women with breast cancer who are no longer to work due to their condition.

Whenever the SSA receives an application for benefits, it evaluates the condition based on its guide known as the “Blue Book”. The Blue Book lists hundreds of disabilities that could potentially qualify for benefits, along with the medical test results or symptoms that are necessary to be approved.

Breast cancer is listed along with other cancers in Section 13.00—Malignant Neoplastic Diseases. The SSA’s listing for breast cancer is very technical. You will need to speak with your doctor to see if your specific cancer has spread to the extent to qualify for disability benefits via the Blue Book. Typically, breast cancer must be stage three or above to qualify for disability benefits medically.

However, even if you do not meet the SSA’s strict Blue Book parameters, you may still qualify for benefits. To qualify for benefits without meeting a medical listing in the Blue Book, you will need to have doctors’ notes and hospital records that show that you are expected to be out of work for at least 12 months.

If you, or a family member or friend, are struggling with breast cancer, please contact us for a free case evaluation!

By: Joyce Trudeau of Premier Disability Services, LLC^®

States with Free Medical Records

One of the biggest hurdles in many individuals’ claims for Social Security disability benefits is gathering all of the relevant medical records. No matter how severe your conditions are, your claim may be denied for lack of medical evidence.

Many states have laws that waive or limit the amount of money medical providers can charge for providing copies of medical records when the request is made in connection with a Social Security disability or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claim. Other states have limits that apply to all requests, regardless of purpose, while other states have no limits at all.

The list of states which prohibit charging for medical records in connection with a Social Security disability or SSI claim now include: California (one free copy if unrepresented), Connecticut, Kentucky (first copy free), Massachusetts, Michigan (if indigent), Minnesota (if indigent), Nebraska, Nevada (first copy free), New York, Ohio (first copy free, plus one update free), Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee (if indigent), Texas (first copy free), Vermont, and West Virginia (one free copy of indigent).

Separately, the HIPPA Privacy Rule permits a medical provider to impose a “reasonable, cost-based fee,” which may include only the cost of labor for copying the requested records, whether in paper or electronic form; supplies for creating the paper copy or electronic media (e.g., CD or USB drive); postage, when records are requested to be mailed; and preparation of an explanation or summary of the medical records, if agreed to by the patient. See 45 CFR § 164.524(c)(4). The fee may not include costs associated with verification, documentation, search and retrieval, maintaining systems, recouping capital for data access, storage, or infrastructure, or other costs not listed above, even if such costs are authorized by state law. See also U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Individuals’ Right under HIPAA to Access their Health Information, 45 CFR § 164.524.

If you or someone you know is unable to work due to a medical condition, please contact us for a free case evaluation!

Source: https://www.nosscr.org/state-medical-records-payment-rates (all state rules included)

By: Thomas A. Klint of Premier Disability Services, LLC^®