Financial Aid for Parents

Raising children with special needs is certainly a nerve-racking task. Apart from supporting your child both physically and emotionally, you also have to bear all kinds of expenses associated with the disability. Insurance companies typically provide a limited amount of assistance. For the well-being of your child, you would have to manage the remaining overheads on your own. The situation becomes challenging, if your earnings are just enough to make the ends meet. Fortunately, there are a few programs that provide financial aid for parents. There are also many options for financial aid for disabled children.  Let’s take a look at some of them.

1. SSI- Social Security Income or SSI is financial assistance program that is funded by the federal government. Under this program,  children as well as adults get a small stipend each month. The size of the stipend depends upon several factors like the degree of disability, sources of income, savings and assets. If your application gets approved, your child would get a monthly stipend ranging between $300 and $400. However, the process of application approval is not only highly complex, but also long-drawn. Apart from extensive paperwork, you would have to take your child for medical assessment several times. For any reason, if your application is rejected in the first instance, don’t be disheartened as you have the right to appeal and a high percentage of appeals get accepted.
2. AFDC- All families with disabled children are entitled to receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). This program primarily caters to single parents, but in some special situations, two-parent families can also be considered for assistance. The amount of grant that you get varies greatly according to your financial condition and the child’s physical health. Once you start receiving this aid, you also become eligible for a few more benefits like food stamps, job training, health insurance and subsidized childcare.
3. DDD-In a bid to make the lives of people with developmental disabilities more purposeful and productive, many states like New Jersey, Delaware, Colorado and Washington have specifically created the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). The primary objective of DDD is to provide assistance to individuals with some kind of developmental disability like autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, etc. Various types to supportive services are offered by DDD like daycare services for working individuals, residential services for people who need assistance at home, and family support services for families that need help in looking after a disabled member.  To avail a service funded by DDD, you have to apply for it. The application process is quite intricate because it entails extensive documentation through which DDD determines whether you’re truly eligible or not. Once your application is accepted, an in-house case manager will help you to find an appropriate service for your child.
4. CICRFP- Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund (CICRFP) is another important financial program for parents of specially-abled children. There are many health conditions that are not covered by Medicaid insurance plans. To help parents provide their child appropriate medical care, CICRFP offers different types of financial assistance. To get the benefit, you have to ensure that your child fulfills the eligibility requirements, and thereafter, fill out the application form. Your application will be forwarded to the State Office of the Commission. The Commission will evaluate the application thoroughly to determine the amount of assistance you need for the good health of your child.
5. PAP- Poor parents with children are also eligible for (PAP) Patient Assistance Program. Pharmaceutical companies have specifically formulated PAP for those people who cannot afford to buy their medicines.  Under this program, the medicines are given either free of cost or you’re required to pay only a small portion of the bill. To get assistance, you would again have to fill out the application form. After your application is accepted, the company will take care of the medication that your child need to life a better life.