The Social Security Administration's Functional
Equivalence Domains: Focus and Follow Through
There are two pathways to obtaining the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits needed to help care for your disabled child. The most direct pathway is to get the SSA to determine that based on the medical evidence, your child's impairment (or combination of impairments) meets or medically equals one of the listings for children. Unfortunately, many children are not able to meet or equal a listing solely on the basis of medical evidence.
The second pathway to obtaining SSI benefits for your child is getting the SSA to agree that your child's impairment (or combination of impairments) functionally equals a listing.
Paying Attention, Concentrating, Finishing What They Start
As part of its process for determining whether your child's impairment functionally equals a listing, the SSA will compare your child's limitations in the domain of "attending and completing tasks" to children of the same age who do not have impairments.
Example limitations provided by the SSA include:
- Is easily startled, distracted or prone to overreact to everyday sounds
- Is slow to focus on and/or fails to follow through with or complete activities they are interested in
- Gives up easily on tasks that are within their capabilities
- Repeatedly becomes sidetracked from activities or frequently interrupts others
- Needs extra supervision to stay on task
- Cannot plan, manage time or organize self in order to complete assignments or chores
NOTE: Before a child can qualify for SSI benefits, the SSA must find that when compared to children without impairments in the same age group, your child has either an "extreme deviation" (three steps below the norm) in one domain or "marked deviations" (two steps below the norm) in at least two domains.
If We Don't Win, You Don't Pay Any Attorney Fees. It's Just That Simple.
Dedicated exclusively to handling claims for government disability benefits since 1985, the law firm of Shifrin Newman Smith Inc. has helped thousands of disabled Ohio residents, including many children, to obtain SSI and SSDI benefits. We are passionate about this work and will not turn you away, even if you do not have a great case. We have a well-earned reputation for being able to accomplish the impossible.
If you have other questions about the focus and follow through domain or SSI benefits for children — call 877-230-5500 or contact our lawyers online to make arrangements for a free consultation.
Office Locations in Akron, Cleveland and Toledo.
