Introduction

As your teenager rapidly approaches legal age, this is the time for parents to prepare and apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) once they actually turn 18 years of age.  If parents apply prior to 18, your son or daughter will be denied; so you will need to reapply.  Children under 18 years of age with autism may be eligible for SSI disability benefits if their family's income and assets are within the limits required by SSI.  However, eligibility for the young adult at 18 applying for SSI is based on his or her income; not the family's income.  Parents can download the necessary documents needed to present at your appointment with your local Social Security Administration (SSA) case worker.  Having autism does not automatically qualify for eligibility.  Documentation is very important.  Providing a rental contract, food bills, electric, hydro, mortgage and other household bills are all part of the young adult's financial responsibility of living in your home and SSI needs to see this.  Once your young adult is found eligible for SSI you may return at a later date to the SSA case worker and request for more assistance based on other further needs of your young adult.  Remember that if you use food stamps, whatever your young adult consumes is taken out of his or her monthly income from SSI.  Also, it is important to open up a separate account to receive the monthly SSI checks in the name of the Payee Representative (parent) and young adult.  Putting the SSI check into your bank account is not advisable.  Every year, parents will be called upon by the SSA to disclose full financial accountability with your young adult's monthly check.  You will need to show a bank statement to prove that the money is being used to pay the financial obligations of your young adult.  If the bank account exceeds $2,000.00, then the SSA will stop SSI benefits and that may take you some time to reinstate.  However, in 2014 the Autism Able Act was passed in Congress which allows young adults with autism to have a tax free savings account which is able to exceed the $2,000.00 limitation.

If one parent in the family becomes disabled and qualifies for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) through their job, then the "adult child" with autism over 18 and before 22 years of age will stop receiving their SSI monthly income.  They will then begin to receive, only after meeting the necessary requirements for disability eligibility, SSDI monthly income instead of SSI. SSDI has less restrictive requirements and rules and does not have the $2,000 restriction in the savings account.  SSDI is a monthly income amount based on the job earnings of the parent with the disability.  Further information can be found here.