“Two such children live that near where I do in Central Texas-in Elgin, Texas- are Tyler and Noah Roberts- precious 5-year old twins. When you look at their photo, you see two very beautiful little boys. But they are little boys who have severe autism - one is nonverbal and engages in behaviors like flapping his arms, spinning, and throwing tantrums; the other is verbal but has severe anxiety, intestinal problems, and sensory problems. These serious conditions that have greatly impeded their mother’s ability to maintain a regular work schedule, and she therefore depends on SSI to keep food on the table and a roof over her children’s heads.
“I have seen situations just like this in the work that my wife has done. Before I came to Congress, she headed an early intervention program working with infants and very young children who had severe disabilities across the Texas Hill Country. This is not an isolated case. It is an example of the challenges that families face that we need to be assisting them with, not blaming them.
“There has been some growth in the SSI program since 2001 -- largely in response to the growing number of children living in poverty. But just because more families like the Roberts are receiving SSI benefits, to help raise children with autism and other significant medical conditions, doesn’t mean they should be targeted for cuts.
“During the last decade, almost five million more children have fallen below the poverty line. One could reasonably assume that this increase would have an impact on a program designed to help low-income families with disabled children. While we may hear suggestions that the program has changed, the Congressional Research Service concludes that the rate of children on SSI as a percentage of children living in poverty (7.5%) was the same in 2010 as it was in 2001.
“Furthermore, we have increased efforts to identify childhood disabilities. The Center for Economic and Policy Research found that the number of children receiving screening and diagnostic services under Medicaid rose from 5.8 million children in 1998 to 20.8 million children in 2008.
“Nevertheless, there has not been an increase in SSI approval rates for children with mental impairments. According to the Social Security Administration, the percentage of approved SSI applications for all mental impairments dropped from nearly 48% in 2001 to just over 44% in 2010. The allowance rate for some mental conditions, including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD, is even lower.
“There are a number of steps we can take to improve the administration of the SSI program. First, Congress needs to make good on its pledge to provide adequate resources to conduct continuing disability reviews to ensure that SSI recipients maintain their eligibility for benefits. The Obama Administration has nearly doubled the number of these reviews compared to President Bush’s final year in office, but we need to make more progress.
“Second, if we are serious about improving outcomes for children receiving SSI, I look forward to discussing other supports we can offer families struggling with disabled children and how we can help increase educational and employment opportunities for disabled children as get they older.
“Finally, while an analysis by the Social Security Administration did not find any connection between a child’s medication status and his or her eligibility for SSI based on a diagnosis of ADHD, I understand that GAO is continuing to study this issue. The Social Security Administration has stated that a child’s use of medication - or lack of medication - is not determinative of disability. But it may useful for the agency to ensure all parents are aware of that fact by conducting an outreach campaign to highlight the fact that medication is never the sole factor in determining SSI eligibility.
“We are joined today by Mrs. Katie Bentley and her son, Will, an amazing young man who receives SSI. They are accompanying Jonathan Stein, who will testify very shortly. Despite the severe physical and mental impairments Will faces, Mrs. Bentley and her husband were reluctant to apply for SSI benefits because they wanted to support Will on their own. However, after Mrs. Bentley had to close her business to care for Will, the financial burden became too great for their family.
“Since Will began receiving benefits, his outcomes have improved remarkably. According to Mrs. Bentley, “The life-altering value of SSI is worth so much more than its monetary value - it is truly priceless." Without SSI, Will and other severely disabled children would not get the help they need to afford medical appointments and other therapies that improve their outcomes and allow them to live with dignity.
“Mr. Chairman, We can all agree on the need to improve and strengthen SSI outcomes, and I look forward to working on common-sense reforms. But we should reject any direct cuts in assistance to disabled children in the name of helping them. However great our nation’s fiscal challenges, we must not balance our budget on the backs of poor disabled children."
