SSI household expenses confusion - real estate tax and home insurance not counted for disabled child?

They should definitely be counting your property taxes and homeowners insurance as part of housing expenses for SSI. When I went through this with my nephew, all housing expenses were included in the calculations. The rep might be confusing the rules or applying them incorrectly. I suggest calling SSA back and speaking with a different representative, or asking to speak with a supervisor who can clarify the policy. Make sure to document the date/time of your calls and who you spoke with. The way they calculate the child's SSI benefit takes into account the household expenses, so leaving these out could potentially reduce the benefit amount.

i had the EXACT same issue last yr with my daughters ssi!!! the 1st rep told me no on taxes/insurance then i got a super low benefit amount. had to appeal and show ALL my housing costs. took 3 extra months but they fixed it and gave backpay. don't wait call them asap!!!

You're absolutely right to question this. For SSI purposes, household expenses should include all housing costs - mortgage/rent, property taxes, insurance, utilities, etc. This affects how they calculate the child's portion of household expenses and ultimately impacts the benefit amount. For a disabled child under guardianship, they apply something called "deeming" rules where they look at the guardian's income and resources, and part of that calculation includes determining what portion of household expenses should be attributed to the child. Without your complete housing costs, they can't accurately make this determination. I recommend calling the SSA and specifically asking them to review their policy on counting property taxes and insurance as part of housing expenses for the SSI deeming calculation for a child. Reference POMS SI 01320.175 if needed (that's their internal policy manual section that covers this).

When I applied for my son the rep asked for everything - mortgage, taxes, insurance, even HOA fees. Different reps seem to handle things differently. The problem is that some field offices train their people better than others. You definitely need to call back and get this straightened out BEFORE they make a determination. Once they determine an amount, fixing it becomes much harder.

my sister went through this mess last year with her kid. took FOREVER to get through to someone who knew what they were talking about. they kept hanging up on her!! so frustrating when ur just trying to help a disabled child get what they need!!

does ur grandson get medicaid too? make sure they don't mess that up when fixing the ssi stuff!!! sometimes when they adjust one thing it messes up the other

Just a follow-up tip - when you call back, ask for an itemized breakdown of how they're calculating the portion of household expenses allocated to your grandson. This should be documented in their system notes once the determination is made. Having this breakdown will help you verify they've included all appropriate expenses. Also, request that they note in your case file that you attempted to provide property tax and insurance information during the initial interview but were told it wasn't necessary. This creates a record that you tried to provide complete information from the start, which can be important if you need to appeal later.

THE WHOLE SSI SYSTEM IS RIGGED AGAINST US!!! They DELIBERATELY leave out information so they can pay LESS benefits!!! I've been fighting with them for THREE YEARS about my daughter's benefits and they ALWAYS try to count everything against us but won't count things that would HELP us!!! It's a SYSTEM DESIGNED TO FAIL disabled children!!!!

Make sure you keep a record of everything - all your expenses, who you talked to, when you called, what they said. When I dealt with this for my son's SSI, having detailed notes saved me multiple times. Also bring his medical records with you if you have to go in person again. They like to "lose" important documents.