SSA TALKS: Child Benefits

SSA TALKS: Child Benefits

- in Blogs, Caregiving, Social Security

Social Security & You
By Brandon P. Smith, Social Security Public Affairs Specialist

Kathleen Romig, Senior Advisor in the Office of the Commissioner, joined the latest episode of SSA Talks to discuss the Social Security benefits available to children. These include:

  • Survivors benefits for children if their parent dies. For more information, please read our publication titled Survivor Benefits at ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10084.pdf.
  • Supplemental Security Income (or SSI) for children if they have a disability or blindness and their families have limited income and resources. Visit our SSI webpage at ssa.gov/ssi to learn more.
  • Child benefits also known as “family benefits” on the record of a parent receiving retirement or disability benefits. For more information, please read our publication titled Benefits for Children at ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10085.pdf.
  • Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits for Youth with Disabilities for adults who have a disability that began before they reached age 22. These benefits are paid from their parent’s Social Security earnings record. For more information, please read our publication titled Benefits for Children with Disabilities at ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10026.pdf.

As an advocate and the mother of a child with disabilities, Kathleen knows well the challenges that children and their families encounter. During the episode she discusses how Social Security benefits and SSI help children. She also explains how we are taking more proactive steps to reach children who may be eligible for our benefits and programs. 

You can listen to the episode on our SSA Talks webpage at ssa.gov/news/audio-series.html and subscribe to receive alerts about future episodes. You can also listen to previous episodes like “Commissioner O’Malley’s Top Priorities” and “Will Social Security be there when i retire?”.

For more information and news about Social Security, check out our Communications Corner webpage at ssa.gov/news

About the author

Brandon P. Smith is the author of Northeast Ohio Thrive’s Social Security & You blog. He is a Social Security public affairs specialist with the Social Security Administration, based in Cleveland. A Cleveland native, he joined the SSA in 2003. He is the primary contact for media relations, outreach, and presentations for the agency in Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, and Geauga counties. In addition to other communications awards, Brandon received a Deputy Commissioner Citation from Social Security’s Office of Communication in 2015 for his outstanding public affairs support of the agency’s national communication initiatives.

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