While it is critical to ensure that you have adequate planning in place to preserve your child’s eligibility for government assistance, it is important for individuals to know what government benefits are available to a special needs child and when these benefits are available. Because government programs can be confusing and since they change often, anyone seeking to learn more about receiving government benefits for a special needs child should consult an attorney or review current documentation on eligibility from each individual government program.

There are four relevant government benefit programs available to special needs families. These are Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”), Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security Disability Insurance (“SSDI”). Both SSDI and Medicare are not means based programs. In other words, there is no investigation into your finances to determine if you qualify for the program based on your income or your resources. Medicare is a form of sponsored health insurance available for the elderly and the disabled and SSDI is available to individuals and minors or special needs children of an individual who has died, retired or become disabled. A special needs child who is under age 22 and who is not working can obtain SSDI benefits based on his or her parents’ prior earnings.