According to a recent report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, the number of low income children receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for mental disabilities increased between 2004 and 2013.
The number of disabled child recipients increased from 1.88 in 2004 to 2.09 in 2013 for children with at least one of 10 major mental disorders.
According to the report, the growth is not surprising, as it is consistent with U.S. trends among children who were diagnosed with a mental disorder.
The committee who wrote the report and conducted the study analyzed trends in American children who applied for and were recipients of SSI benefits from 2004 to 2013. The trends in childhood disability were attributed to 10 major mental disabilities, including autism, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar, and intellectual disability.
The SSI program provides a stipend to individuals with disabilities who have limited income or resources. In 2012, approximately 20 percent of recipients of SSI payments were children, and in 2013, about 50 percent of those recipients had a mental disorder.
The committee found that children living in poverty are more likely to have severe mental health problems that would qualify for SSI benefits. The committee also noted that as poverty rates increase, so too does the number of children applying for and receiving SSI benefits for mental disorders.
It was also found that during the 2004 to 2013 time period, although the number of applicants with mental disorders varied each year, the approval rate decreased during that time. This is most likely because more people were entering the program than were leaving it. The amount of time a recipient was receiving benefits was greatly extended during this time.
The committee also found that the number of children with ADHD was always the largest of the mental disorders. Additionally, the number of autism recipients increased, while the number of children with intellectual disabilities decreased between 2004 and 2013.
If you need assistance applying for or appealing a decision regarding SSI benefits for a child's mental health disorder, the knowledgeable Phoenix Social Security Disability lawyers at Dayes Law Firm PC can help.