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Apply for Disability Benefits - Child (Under Age 18)

Updated: July 2005
 

To apply for disability benefits for a child, you will need to complete an Application for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) AND a Child Disability Report. The report collects information about the child’s disabling condition and how it affects his/her ability to function.

At this time, only the Child Disability Report can be completed online. Please contact us to schedule an appointment to complete the SSI application. We will help you in person or by phone.
 

Picture of a child under age 18

How to apply

Please follow these steps:

Step 1.  Review the Child Disability Starter Kit. This kit answers common questions about applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for children, and includes a worksheet that will help you gather the information you need.

Step 2.  Contact Social Security right away to find out whether the income and resources of the parents and the child are within the allowed limits, and to start the SSI application process.

Step 3.  Fill out the online Child Disability Report. At the end of the report, we will ask you to sign a form that gives the child's doctor(s) permission to give us information about his/her disability. We need this information so that we can make a decision on the child’s claim.

Note: If you previously started a Child Disability Report but did not finish it, you can use your re-entry number to return to your online Child Disability Report.
 

Contacting Social Security

If you do not want to do this report online or you need help, you can call us toll-free at 1-800-772-1213. If you are deaf or hard-of-hearing, call our toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778. Representatives are available Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

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Last reviewed or modified Monday Jan 14, 2008
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