Georgia residents may know that children with serious disabilities can be eligible to receive Supplemental Security Income. But the criteria for receiving SSI can also be somewhat complex. While many children have a physical condition that results in high medical bills, a number of factors have to be considered by a government agency before children in the Augusta area and throughout the country can receive SSI benefits.

Here is how the SSI program works for children: disabled children up to the age of 18 receive monthly payments. The amount of the payments depends on multiple factors that many parents choose to assess with the help of a legal professional who is familiar with the process of filing for Social Security Disability benefits.

To receive SSI payments, a child must be impaired in a way that greatly limits his or her activities. In addition, the child's condition must have lasted a year or is expected to last a year. If a child's impairment is expected to result in death, then he or she is likely eligible for SSI benefits.

The income of parents is also a factor determining whether a child is eligible for SSI. In short, if the income of a child's parents is over the designated limit, then SSI benefits are not an option. A state agency will assess the income of any parent or parents whose child is being considered for SSI benefits. Several types of income are considered when the state agency makes its decision. For example, a parent's earned income, in-kind income, unearned income and deemed income are all determined to be factors affecting whether a child is eligible for SSI.

Georgia families who are considering filing for Supplemental Security Income will want to be fully prepared when the state agency begins its assessment. Properly filing the necessary paperwork may seem like a complex task, but with the right help, SSI payments may prove to be indispensible to many Georgia families.

Source: cincinatti.com, "Disabled children with limited income may qualify for SSI," Kevin Grace, Feb. 6, 2012