Posts tagged "premature infants"

We have previously talked about the Supplemental Security Income program and how it helps impoverished people with disability benefits. The program can also provide important governmental benefits for people with limited work history or children with disabilities. Whether someone has a serious psychiatric or medical condition, the Supplemental Security Income program can help people cover many of their daily living costs.

For children and people with severe mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder or psychosis, disability benefits may be absolutely essential and there is new information out about who might be at risk for these serious psychiatric disorders. A report will soon be published that links premature birth to a greater risk of mental health conditions. Those children that are born at 32 weeks or earlier are three times more likely to need serious medical attention because of a psychiatric disorder after they hit puberty.

People who suffer from disabilities in West Virginia understand that a disability can affect just about every aspect of their lives. The Social Security Administration defines a disability as any medical condition that prevents a person from engaging in employment due to an impairment caused by the condition. If the condition is expected to last for at least 12 months or result in death, a person can qualify for Social Security disability benefits.

According to a recent report in the health journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, more than 1 million women of childbearing age have a physical disability. It is uncertain how many disabled women give birth each year, but researchers are learning more about how pregnancy can interact with a disability and about the special needs of disabled women.

Robert Fenn, a public affairs specialist with the Social Security Administration wrote an interesting article in the Akron Beacon Journal in which he answered questions from the public. One of the questions involved Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for premature and underweight babies. We would like to share the information Mr. Fenn provided and add some additional information you may find helpful.

Generally, SSI is for low-income individuals. In most cases, the Social Security Administration will consider the income of the parents when a child applies for SSI benefits. SSI disability benefits are indeed available to low birth-weight infants, whether or not the infant was born prematurely.