Some children in DFPS conservatorship receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits based on the child’s physical or mental disabilities. A child receiving SSI may also receive a Retirement, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (RSDI) benefit, as a result of a parent’s disability or death. SSI and RSDI are federal benefits administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA).

To receive SSI payments, the child cannot have more than $2,000 in resources.

When the Social Security Administration (SSA) approves a child for SSI or RSDI, this may generate a lump sum payment (called an “underpayment” by SSA). This lump sum payment covers the monthly payments due between the original application date and the date SSA determines the child’s eligibility, which is generally three to six months after the application is submitted.

The SSI coordinator manages the child’s SSI and RSDI lump sums so that they will not affect the child’s newly determined SSI eligibility. This management includes getting approval for expenditures for the child’s appropriate needs. The SSI coordinator works with the following:

• CPS caseworker.
• Foster care eligibility specialist.
• DFPS Children’s Income Account unit.

All SSI and RSDI lump sums are deposited into the regional Children’s Income Accounts. The only exception is when SSA requires the lump sum to be deposited and held in a dedicated savings account.

See:

1581.1 Dedicated SSI Account

1577 Establishing a Dedicated Account Using a Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Lump Sum)