Federal & State Government Financial Assistance for Parents

As we age, sometimes we need a little extra help, especially after retirement, as our health and mental acuity begin to diminish.

Senior citizens can begin tapping into government financial assistance programs at age 50 without waiting until their 65th birthday or another insignificant milestone.

Many benefits focus on earned income and resources rather than the date of birth.

Parents of children with special needs face a lifetime of extra expenses not covered by insurance, such as travel, medical bills, therapies (art, swim, speech, occupational), caretaking, and more.

Learning about the many financial assistance options that exist at an early age pays enormous dividends over time because the requirements continue indefinitely.

Government benefits, private grants, and getting paid for caretaking make a difference.

New parents frequently consider filing for unemployment benefits during unpaid maternity leave to find that this government program cannot help. You are ineligible while you still have a job and are unable and unavailable for work.

However, mothers and fathers can sometimes qualify after their disability and caretaking duties end – provided they work in a state with a lenient definition for good cause reasons.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) provides partial income replacement for workers who have a severe illness or injury expected last a year or longer or result in death.

The approval process is lengthy. You may need to make a reconsideration request or file for a hearing to appeal a declination decision. Several forms of state-based programs can help families with children survive in the interim.

Collecting unemployment benefits after you quit work due to medical reasons works as a source of financial help in only a handful of states. Plus, you have to wait until you recover and are able to return to the workforce.

Temporary disability provides wage support while you remain unable to perform your job duties – if available and you have the coverage. Otherwise, you must return to health to file for unemployment.

The federal government funds many state-based benefit programs, and stay-at-home mothers seeking financial help will find few opportunities with perfectly matching labels.

Instead, homemakers can look for grants and benefits that match other defining elements, such as lower incomes associated with single wage-earner families.

You can count excess financial aid as income on applications. Sometimes this helps your cause.

For example, student loan refund money deposited into your bank account can fund credit card and rental housing payments.

On the other hand, the money held in an account becomes a countable resource, which could hurt access to Medicaid.

New parents of multiple babies born early face unreimbursed medical expenses such as insurance deductibles and out of network charges. You could also incur unexpected non-medical fees such as travel, parking, and lodging.

Now add in lost income for both mom and dad, who often must stop working or lose their jobs. Finding every conceivable form of financial help is now critical.