Lawyers and Legal Services

Hi A.. It's been a while, but before being a SAHM I was a social worker in a children's hospital, and SSI was a source of frustration for MANY moms. This is the link to the at Social Security that talks about SSI and child support:
https://s044a90.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0500830420

I glanced through it and it's about as clear as mud... but yes, they do reduce it for child support. And boy, I do know if they find something you didn't report they will reduce it to get back every last penny. I would ask your caseworker about what happens when you don't get that child support check, because you should probably get the full amount for those months. This program is so complicated and time consuming. Maybe you can check to see if there is a legal aid program in your area? or do you have access to some kind of advocate or social worker through services for your daughter's medical care? I wish you luck.

http://legalaid.uslegal.com/

the above is a link to legal aid in GA... not sure what is available in your area

I don't know what type of services your state offers but here in SC your child could be approved for services through the Departmetn of Disabilities and Special Needs which gives you a service coordinator who can help you acces all types of services. You may want to ask your doctor about this type of servies in GA. Also if you have medicade you may be able to have a personal care aid help you take care of her and or a respite worker (free babysitting). SSI is based on income- and any income does affect the amount. Our state has a waiver also for children diagnosed with mental retardation - it covers a variety of different services. It is good to have all the services in place before she turns 18 incase she can not live independently.
Good luck.
V. E.

I'm not sure if this will help but my sister gets SSI for herself, not her child but it works the say way. My sister's SSI check gets lowered every time her child support checks get bigger. And it seems that if her child support goes up by $2 then they want to take $50 from her SSI check. Of course your best bet is to talk to a supervisor. I do know that SSI will take money away if you have income from somewhere else coming in. Also if you make more at your job, they can lower the SSI amount too. Good Luck!

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ANy income you have will reduce your childs SSI. The fact the Child support doesn't come all the time is not SSI's fault.That is a COURT issue. BELIVE ME I have gone round and round with the system!!!!!!! Their thought is any penny you get from an outside source is a penny they don't have to give you. How long has she been on SSI? They go on how much you make, Child support, Financial support from the family, Medical bills, your household bills. ETC ..... The list goes on and on. They are very serious about back pay. If I were you I would get ALL your ducks in a row and then goto Social Security office( or call of the Phone). I would sit down and write out What you were paid by SSI, what you were Paid in Child support. Go month by month. Then they will have more information to go on. I hope this helps. Email me and I will go into DETAIL of what I had to do.

Ellen Welsh is a disabiity attorney in the Douglasville area.

Hi A. - any income you receive for your daughter can lower her SSI payments. You should have gotten paperwork explaining this when she first started getting deposits. You need to go to a social security office (because they won't answer the phone) and get this solved. Bring all paperwork, insurance cards and proof of the sporadic child support. When getting SSI benefits, you are only allowed a certain income, as well as limitations on any money saved. I hope you can get this fixed, I know it can be frustrating! Good luck to you!

Hi A., I am sorry to hear about your daughter and the problem you are having of SSI income.
Perhaps you would be interested in working at home part-time around you and your childrens schedule.
You can reach me at ###-###-#### if you would like to talk with me.
Joanie

Hi A. J.,

I do not know of any lawyers, however, I have been dealing with SSI for 12 yrs due to the fact my daughters father is deceased. They paid me for benefits and then cut them down because they said that they overpaid me as well. It was hard to survive on the cutbacks and I ended up calling them and setting a set amount for them to deduct from the check. I had them take out $25 to $50 a month instead of the huge amount that they were taking out. I explained to them that it was creating a hardship for me and my child and they worked with me until it was paid back. Give that a try and hopefully it will work! You and your family are in my prayers! God Bless!
E.

A.,
SSI is a federally funded needs-based income. Any other income your family gets does reduce the SSI. It's only reduced by what you get though. So, to minimize frustration, save all proof of the child support and send it in to SSI monthly. This will minimize any overpayments and make the pay more accurate. Also, contact the office and ask for a smaller amount withheld to pay back the overpayment. They will work with you. The income is not much, but it helps and Medicaid helps alot. Keep a copy of everything that you send also as proof!

Hi A., I don't know alot about ssi ,but I know you can go online to WWW.SSA.GOV they info on the ssi stuff. The section says Disability & SSI . You can even get phone #'s to call people to help you.
I hope this helps.
Dottie