Social Security Disability Lawyer

Usually when you apply for Social Security benefits for a disabled family member, the family member in question is your minor child. You can, however, apply for benefits on behalf of an adult family member if you claim him or her as a dependent or if he or she suffers from a mental or physical impairment that makes it impossible for him or her to apply himself or herself.

Be aware that applying for Social Security benefits for a disabled family member is complicated, at best. You need to provide all sorts of personal, medical and employment information about yourself as well as the disabled person.

If you’re trying to get benefits for your minor child, you’ll need to submit a Child Disability Report before actually applying for benefits. Getting all this information together can take a long time and put you under enormous stress. Consequently, your best strategy is to seek the help of a social security disability lawyer from a law firm like The Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt to assist with better understanding social security disability.

Child Disability Report

Essentially, the Child Disability Report requires you to provide the following information about your child:

• His or her name, date of birth, Social Security number and copy of his or her birth certificate
• Medical information, including all dates of his or her doctors’ visits and hospitalizations, plus his or her patient account number for each health care provider and the name and contact information for each such person
• Copies of his or her medical records and reports currently in your possession
• Any other pertinent information you can provide about his or her medical condition and disability, especially how it affects his or her ability to perform daily activities
• Names and contact information for his or her teachers, day care providers or other family members who can provide additional information
• School records if he or she is already attending school

Keep in mind that Social Security Administration personnel are fully prepared to contact each of these references personally to obtain any additional information they feel they need.

Subsequent Procedure

Unfortunately, filling out and submitting the Child Disability Report and providing its required information is only the first step in obtaining either Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for your child.

It’s only the information by which Social Security Administration personnel decide whether or not your child is eligible for either type of benefits. If they decide he or she qualifies, you then need to fill out and submit the actual application for benefits, along with all required supporting documentation. Once approved, you can then expect to wait a minimum of five months before your child’s first benefit payment arrives.