Financial Help for Mothers With Mentally Ill Children

A child's mental illness creates many hardships for her family. Not only do mothers of mentally ill children face the grief, stress and exhaustion that come from dealing with the illness, they also have the financial burden of doctors' visits, medication and sometimes even institutionalization. Fortunately, financial resources exist to ease this burden.

Social Security

• Make an appointment with your local Department of Human Services to see if your child is eligible for Social Security, or SSI. This program provides financial assistance to children with disabilities, in the form of a monthly check, if their families meet certain income requirements. To qualify for Social Security, your child must be considered disabled. According to the Social Security website, "a child under 18 is considered disabled if his or her physical or mental condition is so severe that it results in marked and severe functional limitations." To demonstrate this criteria, your child will need to be evaluated by a psychiatrist. Ask which psychiatric tests are accepted by the Social Security office to qualify.

Medicaid

• Even if your income is too high to qualify for Social Security, you may still qualify for Medicaid. You can apply for Medicaid at your local Department of Human Services office. Medicaid pays for doctors' visits, hospitalization, drugs, certain therapies and other types of medical treatment, depending on the state in which you live. Medicaid may cover many services that are denied by private insurance. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, "Medicaid has relatively generous coverage for mental health benefits, compared with private insurance plans."

Home and Community-Based Waiver

• When you are applying for Medicaid, ask about your state's Home and Community-Based Waiver. If your child's mental illness is serious enough to qualify him for care at a residential facility, you may be able to get additional services and help through a Waiver program. This program provides extra resources such as adaptive equipment, respite services and case management to make it easier to care for your child at home and prevent the need for institutionalization. Qualifying for these programs often involves a lot of paperwork, and you may have to spend months or years on a waiting list, so it is important to apply as soon as you can.

Support Groups

• A local mental health support group can provide you with information on other resources and services that are available in your area. As part of a support group, you have access to the experience and expertise of other parents like yourself, who can share tips and strategies. The National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, has lists of local support groups on its website.