SSI Benefits I waited. You have a better chance of being approved with an official diagnosis. If you don't have one, they will ask you to have her evaluated by one of thier own psychologists, to see if she is 'impaired' enough to received SSI. Hello all! I just wanted to know those of you who have applied for SSI benefits, did you wait until you had the full diagnoses or did you apply before then. My story is my daughter is on the verge of being diagnosed (most likely aspergers) and in fact her test result appointment is at the end of March.  I was wondering if I should apply after that date or before since it takes time to get records and approval anyway. Thanks again for any responses.  I love this board! yeah, i waited also..actually it was years b4 i found out that i should apply. now i def wouldn't wait that long but i think if u waited for the dx then it might make paperwork run more smoothly You can actually go ahead and start the process now. You're right that it takes a while to get all of the application paperwork and stuff through, and I would go ahead with it since your appointment for results is at the end of March. SSI will not require you to see one of their physicians if you tell them that the evaluation is complete and you are just waiting for the official results and paperwork. They will simply have you sign a medical release and sent it to your doctor so that they can receive a copy of the report too, or ask you to bring in a copy once you get yours. The whole process can be very time consuming from start to finish, and in the beginning they mostly want to know about the child's medical history, daily activties, abilities, etc... Good Luck! Since it's only a month away, I would definitely wait.  It's better to have all your records and all your "ducks in a row" before applying.  SSI is not easy to get, and you will most likely be denied the first time.  That's just the way it goes.  I'd make sure you have all the backup you are going to need.   We were not denied the first time. Approved in one month, actually. I think, at least here in Fl, that if you have an autism diagnosis with paperwork saying so, you get approved quickly. I hope it's the same for you. BonBon - lucky you!  My first time, I couldn't even get a phone interview.  I was denied straight away. I was going to give it up but my son's pediatirician told me to try again, so I did.  I get a minimal amount, even as a single mom, but a little is good too. Every appointment I take my son to is at least an hour away, and I have usually one appointment of something or another every month.  Plus, the cost of his pullups adds up too.   Every little bit helps. NYMommyof339872.8126157407 when I applied they said it was based on income... is that not true?they said family of 4 would need to be under 2,500 gross. I had taken my hours to fill out our 60 pages of info.( lots of docs and medical stuff) SSi for a child under 18 is based on medical eligibility and on family income. Looking carefully at your family budget, deciding if one of you could work less hours so that your family can qualify is important.. remember if your child qualifies for even $1 in SSi benefits per month,they are also entitled to medical.. a huge thing since so many employer based health insurance plans pay little to nothing for services for our kids. In my situation I was divorced,the sole supporter of my kids, I had to decide for the good of ALL my children to stay employed, I moved into the best school district I could and basically fought to make sure he got services, when he became a teenager I took a job in yet another city, also noted for being generous with special needs students. One piece of advice and help I got early on was to make sure your child received a DX that at some point would match an adult dx in the SS database. My son struggles with classical autism and his doctors made sure to put that DX on the axis 1 every step of the way. When he turned 18 the school helped tremendously in applying for SSi for him, he was approved in very short order. He had a full workuo with an SS psychologist last year at age 21 and a couple months later was also awarded SSDI as an adult child disabled before turning age 22. He receives both benefits now because my ex is collecting SSDi but not a large amount, later when I retire he can get up to 50% of the amount of my SS check and after my death he can receive 75% of my SS benefit... this will move him off SSi and totally onto SSDI... which will not end unless he marries or successfully goes to work. Estate planning for an adult child who will be receiving straight SSDI is a LOT easier than planning for a person receiving SSi.. because SSDI isn't means tested. As soon as i found out developmental ped had completed ds's eval/assess report with dx, I picked up a copy and went to the soc sec office and applied. They scheduled us for a phone interview within 7 days and he was approved within 30 from the date I filed the application! When you apply, bring copies of ANY medical records you have...labs, dr consult notes, test results, referrals for therapies...anything related. Whatever records I didn't have, I called and requested copies, picked them up from dr's office and hand delivered to SSA. I was told that helped speed up my son's eligibilty determination tremendously, because SSA allows up to 3 months to receive all medical record requests they've sent out. After 90 days, if they still haven't received reports/records they've requested, they use whatever they have at that time to determine eligibility. Good luck!
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