High school and preparing for adulthood.
Now is the time to plan for your child’s transition from adolescence to adult life. Shift your focus to helping them achieve the greatest possible level of independence. Be sure to check into all educational opportunities for vocational exploration, daily living skills, and independence.
At age 18, a door to Federal Government Benefits opens. Before turning 18, a child's eligibility for government benefits is based upon their parents' income and assets. In many cases, the parents' level of income and assets will disqualify the child’s eligibility for means-based benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid.
Regardless of your child’s current abilities and/or your current financial status, it is key for every family's plan to maximize their child's eligibility for government benefits. It is important not to eliminate options or jeopardize potential benefits by improper planning.
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Janet's family
My daughter Janet is 18 years old. She has a wheelchair, which allows her to get around, and although she can understand me, she has trouble expressing herself verbally. My husband and I were finding it difficult to physically transfer her on a day-to-day basis, especially when he travels for his work, because we need a second person to assist. We had to admit sooner than we had hoped that we needed help.
When I talked to a staff person at our local chapter of The Arc, she told me about the Medicaid personal care attendant (PCA) program. I learned that the family (or the individual) hires the staff person, and that they can directly negotiate hours. In this case, because Janet is not able to supervise the attendant, I as her parent would serve as a surrogate supervisor of the PCA. Another benefit is that the PCA, although hired to assist Janet, is also able to help her learn some independent skills beyond the classroom.
I also learned about another program that Janet might be eligible to access, the adult foster or family care (AFC) program, which is also funded by Medicaid. This would allow me or my husband to be paid to be her primary caregiver. The biggest concern with this benefit is that we are both already having difficulty with being able to move her from her wheelchair. We decided that the PCA program would allow us to hire additional helpers. Our life is so much easier now.
