People who are developmentally disabled may qualify for monthly

People who are developmentally disabled may qualify for monthly benefits under either the Social Security or the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs, according to Bruce A. Hundley, Social Security manager in Culpeper, r The medical requirements for eligibility, so far as disability is concerned, are the same for both programs. Other eligibility requirements differ. • A mentally impaired person can get Social Security payments when a parent starts getting Social Security Retirement or disability payments, pr when an insured parent dies. * It doesn’t matter how old the person is, but he or she must have Become disabled before age 22 to receive benefits on a parents record, ■Jdr. Hundley said. A mentally disabled person who has worked long ;enough and recently enough under ;Social Security can also get benefits ^n his or her own Social Security •^ork record. SSI payments are paid to disabled people of any age, as well as to the blind and people 65 and over. SSI payments are made to people whose income and resources are below certain levels. In deciding if an unmarried child under 18 and living at home can get SSI payments, part of the parents’ income and resources may be considered to be the child’s. If the parents’ countable resources exceed the SSI limit, the excess is included with the child’s resources. After deducting allowances for the parents’ work and living expenses and for other children living in the home, the remaining amount of the parents’ income is included with the child’s to decide if the child is within the income limit. Call Social Security’s toll-free telephone number for more information about Social Security or SSI benefits for disabled people. The number is 1-800-2345-SSA (1-800234-5772). The Culpeper office is located at 806 North Main Street.