Some minors will also benefit from the 8.7% COLA increase on Social Security checks for 2023 that the agency already began sending out this week.
The foregoing responds to the fact that children in the United States are also eligible for the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program that covers parents, caregivers or representatives of minors under 18 years of age, who have disabilities and are low-income.
“From birth to 18 years of age, children can receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. They must be disabled and have little or no resources and income, ”explains the Social Security Administration (SSA) on its website.
The parents of these minors already began to receive the enlarged check from Friday.
In fact, the group of SSI beneficiaries is the first to receive the monthly funds for the COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) increase distributed by the office. About 7 million Americans receive SSI funds.
SSI also applies to adults who developed a disability during childhood (before age 22).
According to the Social Security website, disability in the case of children implies that the minor must have a condition or conditions, physical or mental, that seriously limit their activities; and that the condition or conditions must have lasted, or is expected to last, for at least one year or may cause death.
The appropriate state SSA office makes the decision as to whether the child is eligible for disability assistance. “They evaluate the information you provide us. They will also request information from medical and school sources, and from other people who know about the child’s condition, ”the entity specifies on its website.
“If the state agency needs more information, they will arrange for a medical exam or test for the child, for which we will pay,” the SSA says.
Additionally, an agency fact sheet indicates that, each month during 2021, the agency paid an average of $2.8 million in benefits to 4 million children whose parents (one or both) were retired, deceased, or disabled.
“These benefits meet the needs of eligible family members and help those children complete school. When one of the parents has a disability or dies, Social Security benefits help stabilize the financial future of the family.
After mailings to SSI recipients, the rest of the first checks with the new COLA increase will be distributed during the month of January every Wednesday of the week.
The Administration is based on a calendar that is guided by the day of birth of the beneficiaries.
On average, retirees will receive more than an additional $140 per month in 2023 for a total amount of $1,827 each pay cycle.
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