life events

Disability, Permanent of Dependent Child

Arranging the financial, custodial, and medical care for a disabled dependent is one of the most difficult planning challenges. With regard to your benefit plans, there are issues affecting both your Health benefits and your Pension benefits.

Checklist

  • Older children who are physically or mentally disabled may be considered dependents if they became disabled before turning age 19 (or 24 if a full-time student), they were covered as dependents at the time they became disabled, and you are eligible for benefits. Once your child reaches the age of 19, you must provide evidence of the ongoing permanent disability. This evidence may be required periodically thereafter.

Other Considerations

Financial planners advise that special planning should occur for families with a permanently disabled child. The issues are generally the same as for families with minor children. But, because the length of the child's dependency period can be as long as a lifetime, the planning can be considerably more complicated.

A checklist of items you may wish to review are as follows: