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: Is Your Baby Eligible for Social Security or Medicaid? | NICU 101 | Blog | CHKD
Is Your Baby Eligible for Social Security or Medicaid? Author: Team NICU 101
Published Date: Tuesday, November 21, 2017

All babies who have a low birth weight (1199 grams or less) are eligible for Social Security (SSI) and Medicaid benefits through the Low Birth Weight Program. 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.