tell me about disability for ASD young adults

[gardenmom5]

pros? cons?

I think he'll "get there" eventually, but he's not there yet.  He is doing therapy - willingly for the first time.  He's been stable with an anxiety therapist since january.  (big, huge change.  He went to her a few years ago, and after two-three months, flat out refused to go.  Even threatened to jump out of the car at a stop light.)

Dh is only seeing the $$ side of things to help pay for all of his stuff.  The therapist is saying it can limit his employment/etc. opportunities.

Thanks

[Ottakee]

I would say it is worth applying.  The earlier free they turn 18 the better.  If he improves he can always go off SSI in the future.  It also comes with Medicaid.

 

[KSera]

The amount they can earn while on SSI is quite limited—certainly not enough to live on in many parts or the country, but there are some options that can increase that amount without eliminating their SSI payments. There’s also some complication about what you do about having them pay rent if living with you. If they don’t pay rent, that is going to reduce their payment, likely substantially if you live in a high cost of living place. 
 

The whole process takes a really long time and it’s often recommended to start right off doing it with a lawyer, because otherwise it’s most likely you’re going to end up needing one to do an appeal anyway.

[Ottakee]

I agree it is complicated but also establishing the special needs early could allow him to stay on your insurance past age 26 and get disabled adult child benefit when a parent retires.

[KSera]

25 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

I agree it is complicated but also establishing the special needs early could allow him to stay on your insurance past age 26 

Really?? I missed this part. Like on employer provided plans?

[gardenmom5]

2 hours ago, KSera said:

The amount they can earn while on SSI is quite limited—certainly not enough to live on in many parts or the country, but there are some options that can increase that amount without eliminating their SSI payments. There’s also some complication about what you do about having them pay rent if living with you. If they don’t pay rent, that is going to reduce their payment, likely substantially if you live in a high cost of living place. 
 

The whole process takes a really long time and it’s often recommended to start right off doing it with a lawyer, because otherwise it’s most likely you’re going to end up needing one to do an appeal anyway.

He had been on it until he was 18 - so we're in the trying to get it back.
We've sent in his last eval (our fax machine is broken . . . hard glare), and they set up an appointment for a new eval at the end of the month.  He's come a long way  . , a long way . .  What's held him back is much harder to see unless you really know him.  the last therapist that did his eval, refused to take him as a patient because she didn't want to deal with him.  and she specializes in ASD and ADHD. . . . 
He currently has two mental health providers (one specifically for anxiety).  he's in a GED program, that's been like pulling teeth to get him to do anything, but he's *starting* to do a problem or two on his own. (currently, only willing to do math.  1ds has at leave coming up, and has switched to wfh.  He's willing to help him do math.  He's incredibly patient, and is a good teacher.)

31 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

I agree it is complicated but also establishing the special needs early could allow him to stay on your insurance past age 26 and get disabled adult child benefit when a parent retires.

We're not worried about insurance.  
but I just got him into an adult dr, so I really don't want to have to change.  again.

[SHP]

Apply and check with your state to see what is offered though Vocational Rehabilitation as part of the ticket to work program 

[DawnM]

5 hours ago, SHP said:

Apply and check with your state to see what is offered though Vocational Rehabilitation as part of the ticket to work program 

That was a disaster for us.   Their base is 30 min from our house and they insisted on jobs 30 min away and my ASD doesn't drive.   We can't spend 2 hours per day driving him back and forth for a part time job.   They said they only help with getting a job, they can't guarantee where and their jobs are all over on that side of the county.

We also applied for SSI and he didn't get it.   We were told to reapply and we called a lawyer and he said that since my son attended college, that shows he is capable of independent living.......UGH!   I may try another attorney.   My ASD absolutely cannot hold a job and needs disability.   We are stuck and he turns 26 in a couple of months.   We don't know what to do.   

[Ottakee]

9 minutes ago, DawnM said:

That was a disaster for us.   Their base is 30 min from our house and they insisted on jobs 30 min away and my ASD doesn't drive.   We can't spend 2 hours per day driving him back and forth for a part time job.   They said they only help with getting a job, they can't guarantee where and their jobs are all over on that side of the county.

We also applied for SSI and he didn't get it.   We were told to reapply and we called a lawyer and he said that since my son attended college, that shows he is capable of independent living.......UGH!   I may try another attorney.   My ASD absolutely cannot hold a job and needs disability.   We are stuck and he turns 26 in a couple of months.   We don't know what to do.   

It might be too late now but if you are rejected you need to appeal and appeal again.  That keeps the clock ticking from the date of the first application.   If you reapply, the clock starts over from that date.

Two of mine were approved quickly.   The other one took over 2 years of appeals and a trip to federal court before a judge who then asked why we were there as her case was obvious.   For that I used a free lawyer through legal aid as the cost was based on HER income and assets.

Another tip for disability is to make sure that you have had recent testing done, they have seen doctors and therapists recently, etc.    if you have POA or guardianship at all, include that.   Include IEPs, documents from when they were younger, basically, you load Social Security with tons of paperwork showing their special needs over a long time.

I realize this can be harder for homeschoolers who might not have IEPs or done a lot of testing.

[DawnM]

4 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

It might be too late now but if you are rejected you need to appeal and appeal again.  That keeps the clock ticking from the date of the first application.   If you reapply, the clock starts over from that date.

Two of mine were approved quickly.   The other one took over 2 years of appeals and a trip to federal court before a judge who then asked why we were there as her case was obvious.   For that I used a free lawyer through legal aid as the cost was based on HER income and assets.

Another tip for disability is to make sure that you have had recent testing done, they have seen doctors and therapists recently, etc.    if you have POA or guardianship at all, include that.   Include IEPs, documents from when they were younger, basically, you load Social Security with tons of paperwork showing their special needs over a long time.

I realize this can be harder for homeschoolers who might not have IEPs or done a lot of testing.

We dropped it at that point.   I think we have to start all over again.   We just got very discouraged when the attorney said we don't have a case.  He needs to get a job and be fired a couple of times to prove he can't work.   

 

[Ottakee]

3 minutes ago, DawnM said:

We dropped it at that point.   I think we have to start all over again.   We just got very discouraged when the attorney said we don't have a case.  He needs to get a job and be fired a couple of times to prove he can't work.   

 

Sadly that might need to happen but I would do so asap.  There can be long term benefits to being declared disabled at a younger age.

Also, has he been tested as to ability to learn to drive?  If an examiner says no, he is not capable of safe driving that would be another piece of evidence.  If they clear him, your local rehab services might pay for tutoring and 1:1 driving lessons like they do here.

[Innisfree]

13 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

Also, has he been tested as to ability to learn to drive?

Question: what does inability to learn to drive look like? I can envision borderline situations.

[Lecka]

I have asked about this (driving)…. Here if someone is receiving driving lessons through Vocational Rehab, they get blocks of lessons approved until/unless the driving instructor makes that determination.  But I think I was told my son would be approved for blocks of 20 hours of lessons at a time.  
 

I’m going to a transition fair at the end of this month and a Vocational Rehab representative will be there.  
 

In the past they have said they often get kids to drive whose parents didn’t think they would ever drive.  The person I talked to basically was saying, in his opinion, it’s rare someone can’t drive, but lots of parents are doubtful.  
 

Driving school here includes 6 hours of lessons, so they are giving a lot more hours.  
 

I got an impression (the person I talked to would approve hours by talking to the driving instructors) that many kids learned with the first block of lessons, or else it would be 3 or 4 blocks of lessons.  And then some would be longer.  
 

 

 

[DawnM]

49 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

Sadly that might need to happen but I would do so asap.  There can be long term benefits to being declared disabled at a younger age.

Also, has he been tested as to ability to learn to drive?  If an examiner says no, he is not capable of safe driving that would be another piece of evidence.  If they clear him, your local rehab services might pay for tutoring and 1:1 driving lessons like they do here.

He has a permit.   The problem is, we have done all the "you have to go meet with this person and that person" and he was upset about all of it.   He is refusing to do more....he is a one and done and we have already pushed him and pushed him.   I don't know what to do.   we have tried for 4 years to get him to try a job.   He even got an offer and turned it down!

It is very hard.

[Ottakee]

40 minutes ago, Innisfree said:

Question: what does inability to learn to drive look like? I can envision borderline situations.

We have a local rehab hospital that does an initial 1 hour test.  They will test reflex speed, memory, cognition, divided attention, vision, etc.   tests are interesting to watch.    The examiner then says YES, NO, or limited.

limited might be a license to drive to and from work, school and church, etc but not ready for long distances, new places, etc.   I have only seen them say that once.

I never thought  2 of mine would ever drive and in the past 6 months they both got their written permit test passed, took the private 1:1 lessons and both now have their licenses and own cars.    One may never drive super long distances but is doing a great job locally….and is only 2 weeks into this so that could change over time as well.

[Ottakee]

9 minutes ago, DawnM said:

He has a permit.   The problem is, we have done all the "you have to go meet with this person and that person" and he was upset about all of it.   He is refusing to do more....he is a one and done and we have already pushed him and pushed him.   I don't know what to do.   we have tried for 4 years to get him to try a job.   He even got an offer and turned it down!

It is very hard.

Do you have records of this?  Any professionals have reports of his refusals/difficulties, etc?    If so, submit all of that as well.    I hate to say it but one of mine is horrible for agency type people…..but it proves over and over again her disabilities.

[DawnM]

20 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

Do you have records of this?  Any professionals have reports of his refusals/difficulties, etc?    If so, submit all of that as well.    I hate to say it but one of mine is horrible for agency type people…..but it proves over and over again her disabilities.

no records of getting an offer, no.   But we have records of all the therapy and such.   I even took him to a psychiatrist recently to see if there was any other diagnosis we were missing.   He doesn't think there is.   He did change his meds and it is helping a lot with some other things, but not with the work situation.

[pinball]

16 hours ago, KSera said:

The amount they can earn while on SSI is quite limited—certainly not enough to live on in many parts or the country, but there are some options that can increase that amount without eliminating their SSI payments. There’s also some complication about what you do about having them pay rent if living with you. If they don’t pay rent, that is going to reduce their payment, likely substantially if you live in a high cost of living place. 
 

The whole process takes a really long time and it’s often recommended to start right off doing it with a lawyer, because otherwise it’s most likely you’re going to end up needing one to do an appeal anyway.

it’s not a “complication.” It’s pretty straightforward. If an SSI recipient lives in a home and does NOT pay for his “fair share” of the food & shelter he gets from the household, his payment will be reduced by 1/3. 

If the recipient pays his “fair share” which is computed by adding the household expenses the recipient uses and dividing by number of people in the household, the SSI amount is not reduced. The recipient gives the “fair share” to whomever pays the household bills.

link to relevant info from ssa.gov

https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-one-third-reduction.htm#:~:text=We may reduce your Supplemental,you get from the household.

 

[SHP]

3 hours ago, DawnM said:

That was a disaster for us.   Their base is 30 min from our house and they insisted on jobs 30 min away and my ASD doesn't drive.   We can't spend 2 hours per day driving him back and forth for a part time job.   They said they only help with getting a job, they can't guarantee where and their jobs are all over on that side of the county.

   

I have heard people with similar issues with Vocational Rehabilitation. Check the plan and I am willing to bet it says that your ASD doesn't need help with transportation, and since in the US family and friends are expected to provide support for free, and you probably drove him that means that he has supports based on how our system is currently set up. Not saying it is righ.

Those I know who have had success have gone in with a complete plan. So job in field is the goal with or without supports and the education needed for said job.  Here is where person wants to get education. Here is what, if any, supports person will need to get education. Absolutely everything is spelled out by the asker. Leave absolutly nothing to assumption. This includes saying "person doesn't drive, this needs to be taken into consideration for job placement." 

Unless your kid will be content with a one size fits alls placement in dead end job that pays little more than a living wage, if a living wage at all, that will be physically demanding and possibly destroy their body, you have to do a lot of work before you pick up the phone and call.

This is how things are in the US. The entire system for supports relies heavily on unpaid labor of family and friends. You have to do all the work that you would assume they would do. They just rubber stamp it if sounds reasonable. 

[City Mouse]

While Vocational Rehabilitation did not work for a poster above, I just wanted to pop in and say that it does help for some. It has been very good for my adult DD. DVR gave her a paid internship when she was not able to find a job in a field she wanted. (She wanted to get an office/secretarial type job instead of all the retail-cashier or housekeeping jobs that have been all she has been able to get for the last several years). DVR gave her a stipend to get appropriate clothing for her internship. DD attended a local job fair and got hired at a title company. She does have some issues at this new job, so DVR is going to keep her case open longer that normal to continue providing some support. DVR even paid for repairs (with certain stipulations) of her car so that she could continue to get to work. 

Although DD is not planning to obtain additional education at this time, she did discuss that with her DVR counselor. She was told that DVR would pay for educational expenses after any federal, state, or local financial aid as been used.

However, the biggest hurdle to DVR services is the slow pace that things move and the willingness of the client to jump through all the required hoops. There were times in the past were DD would have expected immediate results and would not have been willing to do all the things required of her. 

What has helped me more than any of DVR services was getting her into our local public housing. Since it is income based, when she wasn’t working at all, she cannot get evicted. It also can connect residents with utility assistance if needed. Unfortunately, due to the rural nature of where we live our public housing much nicer than what might be expected in a more urban area. Also, it only took her 2 yrs to get a spot.

Another FYI, once a person is 23, income of other family members is not taken into account even when living in the same home when applying for SNAP benefits. DD was able to get SNAP when living with us which gave her some independence in purchasing her own food. We absolutely would have provided for all her food needs, but this way she could contribute even when she didn’t have cash.

She also continued to qualify for Medicaid while she lived with us, but that might have been pandemic supplemental stuff which as since expired. Now that she is working, she lost Medicaid and most of her SNAP benefits, but she was able to get insurance through the marketplace at no cost (tax rebates I think) due to her low income.

Edited November 11, 2023 by City Mouse

[Storygirl]

Vocational Rehabilitation has worked for my son, too. He started at age 14 with the teen program. A job coach helped him get his first job, and months later, when that hadn't worked out, they helped him get his second. They worked with him in both jobs for a period of time when he first started. When he had difficulties with his second job, the job coach was reactivated by vocational rehabilitation for a time.

Vocational rehabilitation also paid for his adaptive driving lessons. DS balked at getting in the car for his lessons, and his first instructor wouldn't work with him any more (even though we had heard he was a great instructor). Son was a very hard case for anxiety and refusal. The second agency had an  awesome instructor who majorly adapted her expectations and gave him many more chances than their official policy allowed, and this fall, he passed his test by one point!

Vocational rehabilitation will also pay for training if he decides to pursue any kind of technical certification in the future.

DS's job is at Goodwill 30 minutes from our house, and we will have to drive him for the foreseeable future, because it requires very tricky highway driving, which he is not ready for (and may never be). It's definitely an issue that he works so far away, and sometimes DH has to take time off of work to drive him (I cannot leave my workplace, but DH has freedom to).

DS has a history of balking about going to work (and school, but thankfully he (barely) managed to graduate this year). There was a period of time when his manager reduced his hours to one four-hour shift per week, and there were times when we couldn't get DS to go. But they didn't fire him, and now DS is back to working 15-20 hours per week.

We have a special needs estate attorney who will help us apply for SSI. We just haven't done it yet. But, even though DS works now, the attorney expects that he will be approved. DS does not make nearly enough money to cover rent, much less any of his other expenses. We do need to start having him pay rent but then show documentation that he does not make enough to pay what he owes us.

Our attorney says they have only had one case ever that he has not been able to get approved for SSI. Evidently they are very good at predicting who will and will not qualify and very good at doing all of the paperwork, etc. We need to get on the ball and follow through.

So we are still in the midst of all of it. But having a job will not mean that someone cannot get SSI. Income may reduce the amount, but there are also other financial planning things that can help with that (such as using an ABLE account).

The burden for figuring this out does fall heavily on us as parents. We have some things we have to figure out right now about DS's county disability services, and we aren't sure how to handle it. It's hard.

[Storygirl]

Oh, two more things. We thought DS would likely never drive, but he did get his license! He still does not drive himself, but he is legally able to. He prefers to be the passenger, and we need to push him to keep practicing.

Secondly, our state does also have internships through vocational rehabilitation that are for office jobs. So it's not just things like Goodwill or grocery store work -- though that has been the first step for DS and will likely be the level that he stays at indefinitely, due to his employment abilities.

[gardenmom5]

4 hours ago, DawnM said:

 

We also applied for SSI and he didn't get it.   We were told to reapply and we called a lawyer and he said that since my son attended college, that shows he is capable of independent living.......UGH!   I may try another attorney.   My ASD absolutely cannot hold a job and needs disability.   We are stuck and he turns 26 in a couple of months.   We don't know what to do.   

ds is more paralyzed by anxiety than cognition.  He refused to even get a driver's permit for ID, so I had to get him a State ID.
While I like his current counselor - I think she may be pushing him too hard.  She wants him to ride a bus, by himself, somewhere by the end of the month.  He almost never goes places where he's being driven!  I suggested he take a bus from here to 1dd's.  end of our street to a block from her. he's refused to even discuss it.  I offered to follow the bus in my car, so if he needed to get off before, I'd be right there.   maybe 1ds could ride the bus with him... (he has several weeks of leave coming up.)
I think at this point, he's still too paralyzed for a job.  he's been too paralyzed for a GED program (couldn't get him to do school with me, or the district, or the one aimed at kids with special needs.)  but has been doing some things with it.  1ds said he'd help him get through the math. (and science, or he could video conference with 2dd for science.  assuming she has time . . . )  - he won't do an in-person program, and he won't talk to "teachers" online.

he shocked me the other day by putting together his vitamins. (I had to give him a list.)  Never happened before.  ever. and he volunteered to say the blessing on the food at dinner - blink blink.  where's my son, and what have you done with him?

3 hours ago, Ottakee said:

It might be too late now but if you are rejected you need to appeal and appeal again.  That keeps the clock ticking from the date of the first application.   If you reapply, the clock starts over from that date.

Two of mine were approved quickly.   The other one took over 2 years of appeals and a trip to federal court before a judge who then asked why we were there as her case was obvious.   For that I used a free lawyer through legal aid as the cost was based on HER income and assets.

Another tip for disability is to make sure that you have had recent testing done, they have seen doctors and therapists recently, etc.    if you have POA or guardianship at all, include that.   Include IEPs, documents from when they were younger, basically, you load Social Security with tons of paperwork showing their special needs over a long time.

I realize this can be harder for homeschoolers who might not have IEPs or done a lot of testing.

Is there a minimum age requirement to based free aid based on a child's income?  (he's 18).
we're sending the last eval (four?five? years old? I didn't look at the date.)  from the provider who refused to take him as a patient after she was done with the evail because she didn't want to deal with his issues.  (he'd been violent as a small child, but isn't now.) and SS has set up an appointment with someone to eval him.  I'm concerned about their own provider being biased in favor of NOT approving.  Especially as he's made a lot of improvements this year - but he still has a long way to go.
He can't focus on something more than 45 minutes.  He might do it for a few times, but then he absolutely just shuts down.  He quit aikido because of that.  (I've mentioned to him we can talk to his sensei about only doing 45 minutes, and not the full 90 minute class.  otherwise that program was a really good fit.)
I'll dig up his last IEP (which is pre-covid because he started deep into school refusal.)

3 hours ago, Ottakee said:

Sadly that might need to happen but I would do so asap.  There can be long term benefits to being declared disabled at a younger age.

Also, has he been tested as to ability to learn to drive?  If an examiner says no, he is not capable of safe driving that would be another piece of evidence.  If they clear him, your local rehab services might pay for tutoring and 1:1 driving lessons like they do here.

I can't even get him to get a driver's permit.

1 hour ago, pinball said:

it’s not a “complication.” It’s pretty straightforward. If an SSI recipient lives in a home and does NOT pay for his “fair share” of the food & shelter he gets from the household, his payment will be reduced by 1/3. 

If the recipient pays his “fair share” which is computed by adding the household expenses the recipient uses and dividing by number of people in the household, the SSI amount is not reduced. The recipient gives the “fair share” to whomever pays the household bills.

link to relevant info from ssa.gov

https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-one-third-reduction.htm#:~:text=We may reduce your Supplemental,you get from the household.

 

where is this income to pay rent supposed to come from?  he won't work, he won't go to school. . .

13 minutes ago, City Mouse said:

While Vocational Rehabilitation did not work for a poster above, I just wanted to pop in and say that it does help for some. It has been very good for my adult DD. DVR gave her a paid internship when she was not able to find a job in a field she wanted. (She wanted to get an office/secretarial type job instead of all the retail-cashier or housekeeping jobs that have been all she has been able to get for the last several years). DVR gave her a stipend to get appropriate clothing for her internship. DD attended a local job fair and got hired at a title company. She does have some issues at this new job, so DVR is going to keep her case open longer that normal to continue providing some support. DVR even paid for repairs (with certain stipulations) of her car so that she could continue to get to work. 

However, the biggest hurdle to DVR services is the slow pace that things move and the willingness of the client to jump through all the required hoops. There were times in the past were DD would have expected immediate results and would not have been willing to do all the things required of her. 

 

I think the GED program the district paid to have him attend (which he refused to do . . . . ) offered VocRehab on top of the GED.  Their location also was not good . . . . 
Ds isn't willing to do much of anything, he just shuts down.   I'm just glad he's working with the person who has helped reduce his anxiety - but it's still slow.

[City Mouse]

50 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

 . 

Ds isn't willing to do much of anything, he just shuts down.   I'm just glad he's working with the person who has helped reduce his anxiety - but it's still slow.

The only other thing I can think of at this point is inpatient treatment, but even if you can find a place to take him, since he is 18 he has to agree to go or it has to be court ordered.

[KSera]

3 hours ago, pinball said:

it’s not a “complication.” It’s pretty straightforward. If an SSI recipient lives in a home and does NOT pay for his “fair share” of the food & shelter he gets from the household, his payment will be reduced by 1/3. 

If the recipient pays his “fair share” which is computed by adding the household expenses the recipient uses and dividing by number of people in the household, the SSI amount is not reduced. The recipient gives the “fair share” to whomever pays the household bills.

link to relevant info from ssa.gov

https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/spotlights/spot-one-third-reduction.htm#:~:text=We may reduce your Supplemental,you get from the household.

 

Thanks for typing that all out. I wasn’t in a position to pull up the details and type them all out on my phone at that point, thus the shorthand, “complication.” And it is actually a complication in some situations. The reduction can prevent a disabled person from being able to get into their own housing, out of their parents’ house. And for some people, figuring out what happens tax-wise if they are collecting rent from an adult child does indeed add complication as well. 
 

@gardenmom5 If my recollection is accurate that you live in a high COL area, taking the reduction is likely better than finding a way for your ds to pay his “fair share” with no income.  I’d expect a third of market rate rent and food each month to be more than the $300-some odd reduction. 

2 hours ago, SHP said:

Unless your kid will be content with a one size fits alls placement in dead end job that pays little more than a living wage, if a living wage at all, that will be physically demanding and possibly destroy their body, you have to do a lot of work before you pick up the phone and call.

Yeah, here they spend a lot of time finding out all about the client’s interests and skills, but then the default offering is almost always a floor job at Goodwill (which I understand why, but it’s not a good fit for everyone). And forget living wage  

@City MouseYour dd’s path is always an encouragement to me!

Edited November 11, 2023 by KSera

[pinball]

2 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

where is this income to pay rent supposed to come from?  he won't work, he won't go to school. . .

My reply was about a hypothetical person who hypothetically received SSI and the regulations re:living expenses such as rent.

In no way was I referring to your son

 

[Ottakee]

As to the rent….it isn’t really rent per day but a share of housing costs…..meaning the parents aren’t making money on this so therefore no need to report it as income on their taxes.

And once you charge the individual their share of housing, you are free to buy them things with that money or save it for them (remember $2000 limit so look at an ABLE account), etc.

i work for the local ISD in a program for young adults ages 18-26 with cognitive impairments and/or ASD.   We do so much of this stuff in helping them learn to ride public transportation, do simple banking, get a job, start driving, etc.    sometimes students will do more/try something when it isn’t a parent pushing and they see their peers doing it.

For the bus we do a lot of fading prompts.  We start out riding the bus with them.  Then they ride with peers and we meet them at each stop.  From there they might ride with a peer and switch buses but we watch from a vehicle , etc.   over time we get them riding alone with us checking in.   They all have cell phones so if they miss a stop or get off at the wrong spot they call and we come.   It might take months but the freedom it gives them in priceless.

if you have a student up to 21 or whatever you state cut off for education is (Michigan is 26) I encourage you to ask if a similar program is available.   Our students attend, one or two days a week in a classroom and then we meet them out in the community to practice these skills or even some in their home to practice. Simple cooking, laundry, or whatever they need. It is highly individualized. The amount of progress they make, though is amazing.

[KSera]

23 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

 

As to the rent….it isn’t really rent per day but a share of housing costs…..meaning the parents aren’t making money on this so therefore no need to report it as income on their taxes.

And once you charge the individual their share of housing, you are free to buy them things with that money or save it for them (remember $2000 limit so look at an ABLE account), etc.

 

Thanks for this. My understanding had been that we’d have to report rent collected as “income”. I’ll look into it more, but what you say makes sense—that it’s more like a reimbursement for something we are providing.

[gardenmom5]

3 hours ago, pinball said:

My reply was about a hypothetical person who hypothetically received SSI and the regulations re:living expenses such as rent.

In no way was I referring to your son

 

I just lost a bunch of what I typed before I could post it, but wanted to make sure I replied to this.

I apologize for poor word choice.  My frustration is with the bureaucracy and the situation, not your comment.

[City Mouse]

When my DD was still living with us we charged her $50 per week. When she wasn’t employed and applying for benefits, she did put that amount down as her rent, but she didn’t pay us when she didn’t have money. Officially, she owed us back rent, but we never attempted to collect.  However, she has never applied for SSDI, just SNAP and Medicaid. 

[Ottakee]

2 hours ago, KSera said:

Thanks for this. My understanding had been that we’d have to report rent collected as “income”. I’ll look into it more, but what you say makes sense—that it’s more like a reimbursement for something we are providing.

Yes, I just call it housing share on any paperwork.   If they paid fair market value of renting their space it would be a lot more.