The Social Security Administration's Functional
Equivalence Domains: Social Interactions
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.
Getting Along With Others
We all get much of the information we have about ourselves and the world around us from the relationships we have with others. This is true of children too. SSA recognizes this and considers social interactions when trying to determine whether or not a child can functionally meet one of its impairment listings.
Example limitations provided by the SSA include:
- Does not reach out to be picked up, touched or held by a caregiver
- Has no close friends, or has friends who are older or younger
- Avoids or withdraws from people he or she knows
- Is overly anxious or fearful of meeting new people or trying new experiences
- Has difficulty cooperating with others
- Has difficulty playing games or sports with rules
- Has difficulty communicating with others (for example, does not speak intelligibly or use appropriate non-verbal cues when carrying on a conversation)
The SSA will evaluate the severity of any limitations in this domain by comparing them to what it considers "normal" for other children in the same age group. An "extreme deviation" (three steps below the norm) in any single domain is typically enough to qualify your child for SSI benefits. A "marked deviation" (two steps below the norm) in two domains — social interactions and self-care, for example — has the same effect.
If We Don't Win, You Don't Pay Any Attorney Fees. It's Just That Simple.
Since 1985, the law firm of Shifrin Newman Smith Inc. has been exclusively dedicated to helping Ohio residents who need help obtaining government disability benefits. We won't turn your family away, even if your child's case looks hopeless. We have had great success with cases that other law firms thought impossibly difficult.
If you have other questions about the SSA's process for determining whether your child is legally disabled or SSI benefits for children, call our offices directly at 877-230-5500 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with one of our lawyers.
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