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Do I Qualify for Social Security Benefits with a Baby?
What happens when you are already receiving Social Security benefits and you find out your are pregnant? Will you lose those benefits? Are they increased? What if you are not on benefits and have a baby that is disabled? Do you then become eligible for benefits to help with childcare? These are all questions some women are curious about during pregnancy.
If a woman is currently receiving Social Security benefits and becomes pregnant, she will not see an increase in her monthly benefits payment. This program is not set up to assist women who are pregnant or have children, it is there to help disabled and elderly. However, the child may actually qualify for benefits, which if approved, will be received until the age of 18.
If there is no income or resources, a child born with a disability may qualify for benefits. All family resources are taken into account before an actual decision is made by the Social Security benefits administrator. The type of disability and how it will affect the future of the child are also taken into account when deciding if a benefit is awarded as well as for how much and how long the benefits will last.
Children that are born prematurely may qualify for benefits because of their restricted functional ability during their first year of life. To be considered “premature,” the child needs to be born prior to week 37 of gestation. In many cases, premature babies suffer from low birth weight and organs that are underdeveloped. They are at greater risk to infections and respiratory issues.
While the Social Security Administration does not list premature birth as an actual disability, it does have listings for various emotional and developmental disorders related to newborns. This can be difficult to understand for laymen, so it may be prudent to secure the services of a disability attorney to assist with the process. He or she will be much more familiar with the conditions that do and do not qualify for benefits.
In order to qualify for a disability, an application must be filed with the Social Security Administration. This application will include information concerning the child’s treatment and physicians as well as information from the actual doctors, caregivers, and the school if applicable. Generally, you will receive a decision in less than six months, but this time frame is dependent upon all applications being filled out properly as well as containing all relevant information. Again, another reason to secure the services of a local Social Security disability attorney that is already familiar with the process.
