Title: Is Your Baby Eligible for Social Security or Medicaid? | NICU 101 | Blog | CHKD
Headings: Is Your Baby Eligible for Social Security or Medicaid?
Is Your Baby Eligible for Social Security or Medicaid?
About Team NICU 101

Content: While your low birth weight baby is in the hospital, SSI eligibility is not based on family income or resources, only birth weight. Once your low-birth-weight baby is discharged, family income will be considered to determine if the baby is still eligible for this first-year-of-life program. If your baby meets the low-birth-weight criteria and you would like to file for SSI benefits on your child’s behalf, please speak with your social worker to get an application. A Social Security representative is available in the NICU family waiting room two Wednesdays a month, at 1 p.m., to accept applications for the program. The sign-up sheet is available at the reception desk between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. on the designated Wednesdays. Please contact your NICU social worker or call Social Security at (800) 772-1213 if you have additional questions. Please note: Application for Medicaid is a separate process; please see your social worker for further instructions. In addition, if your baby has been in the hospital longer than 30 days, he/she becomes eligible for Medicaid as a secondary insurance.