Benefits for Disabled Children and Teens

A child under the age of 18 does not need to be considered disabled in order to receive disability benefits on your record. If your child is a full time student in elementary or high school then his or her benefits can continue until the age of 19. However, if your child is disabled then he or she might be eligible for benefits after the age of 18 if the child is unmarried, determined to be disabled under the definition of disability for adults and the disabling impairments started before the age of 22. This person is referred to under the disability regulations as an “adult child” in a typically confusing example of bureaucratic double speak.

Children under the age of 18 can be considered disabled for the purposes of receiving Supplemental Security Income benefits. This depends on their parents financial status rather than work credits. If a family has very low income no resources to speak of, then a child of that family could be eligible for SSI if they meet the child’s standard for disability.

We serve clients throughout the Carolinas from our offices in Spartanburg, Greenville, and Columbia.