Federal welfare reform cuts SSI benefits to 135,000 children with mental impairments

Disability benefits for about 135,000 poor children in the United States will end under new rules announced in February by the Social Security Administration. The SSA was required to formulate the regulations after the welfare reform law passed last summer changed the definition of disability for children. The new rules are expected to affect about 14 percent of the children who currently receive the benefits.

Under the new rules, a child will be eligible for the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability program only if his or her impairment causes “marked and severe functional limitations.” SSI pays an average $425 a month nationwide to help parents who must stay home with children or buy them expensive equipment.

Most children who will be cut from SSI have mental impairments, such as learning disabilities and behavioral disorders, according to the SSA.

In December the SSA sent letters to the parents of 263,000 children already getting SSI benefits, notifying them that they could be affected by the welfare reform bill. The SSA will begin reviewing the children’s cases this month. No benefits will be stopped before July 1.

The president has proposed that Medicaid coverage continue for some of the children who lose their SSI benefits as a result of welfare reform.

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