Will My Child Qualify for SSI (Disability Support)?
The McDonald's Litmus Test
Getting through the application process for disability services is like a game of Monopoly. Everyone starts at Go and rolls the dice. In this case, the first step is to go to the SSI website and fill out the initial form.
Supplemental Security Income or SSI — a year-long project that starts when your student turns 18 —is the federal government’s support system for nonelderly disabled adults.
As you look around on the SSI website, you’ll see information about SSDI. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). SSDI is for disabled adults whose parents are over 65 and have filed for their social security payments. It’s more money, but that’s another issue for the future. Right now, SSI is your primary concern.
Currently, there are about 5.2 million beneficiaries of SSI in our country. In 2022, 33 percent had intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, 19 percent had mental disorders, 12 percent had musculoskeletal system diseases, 8 percent had nervous system diseases, and 28 percent had “other/unknown1” disabilities.
Your child may qualify for SSI if he/she is:
aged 18 years or older
has a documented disability
that disability will interfere with Significant Gainful Activity
To receive SSI, a person must be so disabled that they can’t work enough to earn “Substantial Gainful Activity” (SGA). The government defines SGA as a job that pays at least $1,620 per month.
Tip: Have your child avoid all paid employment before applying for SSI, if possible. If they get a job or an internship and are fired for some reason, keep that information as evidence.
Bonus Tip: Make sure that there is no money in your child’s name in the bank or trust fund. Drain any existing accounts by age 15.
How do you know if your child is unable to engage in SGA? So many of our kids have never had a job. We aren’t sure about their abilities, though we certainly hope that they will be employed someday.
Your job isn’t to mess around with hopes and prayers. Your job at this time is to create a safety net for your child. To help with this application process and determine your child’s abilities to work, I tell my clients to use the McDonald’s litmus test.
Ask yourself, “Could my child work a job at McDonald’s?” We’ve all been to McDonald’s or Wendy’s. Imagine your child working there behind the counter. It’s a very complicated job with lots of skills.
Now ask yourself the following questions:
Could they make change?
Could they stand on their feet for five to seven hours?
Could they hear an order and click on the right buttons on the cash register?
Could they work alongside other workers?
Could they be polite to a rude boss?
Could they focus on doing one thing for five hours?
Could they concentrate on their job without a job coach?
Could they handle a drunk customer?
What would they do if a customer forgot their wallet?
Could they not look at their phone for five hours?
Could they avoid talking about their interests for five hours?
If the answer to any of those questions is no, then your child can’t work a part-time job at McDonald’s and cannot engage in substantial gainful activity.
While having a cognitive disability increases your chances of being accepted by SSI, it is not mandatory. Disabilities like autism can be very debilitating in individuals with an average IQ. Poor attention, refusal to do low-interest activities, speech and communication issues, low muscle tone, repetitive actions or verbal tics, and sensory issues are all issues that can interfere with SGA.
The government recognizes that cognitive abilities are not correlated with employability, so they won’t ask you questions about IQ. A person with autism can go to college, and still receive benefits. College algebra is easier for some people with autism than a McDonald’s job. I talk to many families where the young person graduates from college, but can’t find a job because of their autistic quirks.
At the end of the SSI process, a disabled adult will receive around $650 per month, if he lives with his parents. He’ll receive about another $300 per month if he’s living alone or parents charge him rent. Funds will go directly to the individual, not the parents. In one year, many will receive $7,800 yearly.
$7,800 isn’t a huge amount of money and might not seem to justify a year of work. Keep in mind that SSI is the first step in a lengthy process. SSI automatically triggers Medicaid and opens the doors to substantial state benefits.
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I hope everyone had a great break, warm holidays, and many adventures.
Excellent article.