[jenno]

Does anyone know how disability works for someone who got sick before they were ever able to work? My daughter Sarah was diagnosed with RSD when she was 13. Does a person need to pay into social security before they qualify for disability?

My daughter is my hero as well as the the bravest, sweetest person I know. Please know that I do not share the following in a boastful way ... just attempting to explain the situation:

Sarah will be graduating on schedule with her class this spring despite the fact that she has missed hundreds of days of high school. Fortunately she is extremely bright and is really good at teaching herself. To our surprise, she did so well on her ACT (scoring in the top 3% in the country), that she has received almost a full academic university scholarship. Now we have to hope and pray that she will be healthy enough to attend college.

Her high school has been wonderful in working with us, and we have been in contact with the college she plans to attend to make whatever special arrangements we possibly can to best ensure that she will be able to continue her education. Of one concern is the fact that she will have to carry at least 12 credit hours in order to remain on our family health insurance policy.

Please understand if I a rambling, as we spent the night in the emergency room with her, thus contributing to my fearful frame of mind. I must keep telling myself that God has seen her this far ... and as I continually tell her ... He most definitely has special plans for her.

I thank you so very much for listening to this exhausted, concerned mom. It is one of those days when I am feeling pretty overwhelmed.

God bless you all.

Love,
Jeanne

[echoes long ago]

for ssdi yes they do need to have worked a certain minimum amount of quarters depending on their age, for ssi it would depend on the income of the family as well as to wether or not she would meet the medical requirements. you can find the answers to these questions on the social security website. im not an expert by any means and if it became necessary you should consult with someone who is.

I wish your daughter the best of luck in college. With many colleges having online degree programs, that may work to her advantage that she might be able to make up some of her work online if it came to that.

I salute you also for all you have done for your daughter and continue to do.

[Janke]

Originally Posted by jenno

Does anyone know how disability works for someone who got sick before they were ever able to work? My daughter Sarah was diagnosed with RSD when she was 13. Does a person need to pay into social security before they qualify for disability?

For Social Security Disability, an individual must have a minimum number of credits or years of work, in order to meet what is called "Insured Status". Younger people do not require as many years of work as older people. If the disabled person never worked at all, there can be no Social Security Disability paid.

If an adult became disabled as a child, AND that adult's mother or father is currently deceased and had enough credits, or receiving Social Security Retirement or Social Security Disability benefits, and certain other requirements are met, it is possible for that adult child to get Social Security benefits based on a parent's credits and work record if it can be established that the disability began before age 22. This frequently happens to the develpmentally disabled who have been disabled their entire lives.

There is another program that assists low income disabled. This is called Supplemental Security Income (SSI) which can pay monthly benefits to a disabled adult who has limited income and limited assets (resources). It is a form of public assistance. It is administered by the Social Security Administration but the money does not come from anyone earning credits by working and paying taxes. It is a welfare disability program and is often confused with other programs.

I do not know of any disability programs for the middle or high income person who has never paid Social Security taxes.

[jenno]

Thanks Janke & Echoes for the information. We hope and pray that Sarah will never need to be concerned with disability, but it is something that I have thought about and know that we should be aware of.
Thanks again,
Jeanne

[Janke]

I think a prudent course of action would be for her to find some type of employment that allows her to earn the requisite 4 Social Security credits each year for as many years as she can. That would mean earning a little over $4100 this year (and a little more each subsequent year). That means taking the jobs that are covered by Social Security and not the jobs in which no taxes are owed or some school or other government jobs that have their own pension plan. It could mean filing for self-employment if she gets cash only type jobs. At age 22 and under, she would need six credits to be insured for Social Security Disability and after 24 months of entitlement, she would have Medicare coverage for as long as she is disabled. The credit requirement increases every year, but earning at least two credits a year will keep her 'insured' indefinitely.

Now, low earnings do equate to low Social Security benefits and the monthly amount might be difficult to live on. But the benefit of Medicare coverage would probably outweigh everything else in her case. You may always be able to provide her with a home but keeping medical coverage can be very expensive. Medicare supplement insurance can also be purchased, and is much less expensive than buying a comprehensive private insurance policy without Medicare.

If she does become unable to do any kind of work and has low enough income and assets, she could also get Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid which is a big help to the poor disabled. It is a more restrictive program in many ways with more rules. And Medicaid may not offer the medical coverage that Medicare or private insurance offers. But it is a safety net.

Continue to investigate these programs and learn as much as you can. The socialsecurity.gov web site has a great deal of information to read.

[jenno]

Hi Janke,

Thanks so much for the additional information. This is something I really do not like to think about but realize that I need to become more aware. I plan to print your info out and to do some additional research.

I really appreciate your help!!

Jeanne