Hi Cherry,

You go Grandma!!! You don’t need to defend yourself. I am sure the government would not be giving your granddaughter benefits if she were not eligable.Your granddaughter is probably receiving survivor benefits under her mother. She will be eligible for them until she is 18 or,  if she is still in high school, until age 19. She should  automatically be getting health benefits. You can go to www.socialsecurity.gov  scroll down to the second section, click on how to apply for social security disability benefits. There is a special section for children.

SSI and SSDI are similar. The main difference is where in the gov. the money comes from. Also with SSDI the person gets MEDICARE, if thier benefits are a certain percentage below the poverty level they can also qualify for MEDICAID. I believe SSI recipients get MEDICAID. Some SSDI recipents can get SSI also because their benefit amount is very low. SSDI is normally based on the recipients past income, the more they have made the more they can receive as a benefit.

I believe your son may be eligable for SSDI. His Mental illness is considered a disability. Look into it. He would not only get benefits for himself but also he would get benefits for his daughter.

Good Luck