Ok, just thought I would add what I know about SSI or SSDI.  My husband passed away in 2000 leaving me a single mother of 3 children, 2 of whom are SWCAH children.  My children immediately started receiving SSI-SURVIVOR benefits on behalf of their deceased father.  We did not have group health insurance at the time of his passing, so I applied for Medicaid and checked into SSDI.  Because the payout of survivors benefits my children get is so high, they did not qualify for any Medicaid.  They also would not qualify for SSDI if they are already receiving SSI-I could apply for SSDI, but the payout monthly for disability benefits for my kids was less then the survivors benefits, and it was either one or the other-I was told you cannot receive both.    I had to get a job working someplace where I could get onto a group health insurance plan because my SWCAH children were "uninsurable", which is why I think most people in this situation apply for SSDI in the first place.  Unless you have your children on a group plan through an employer, it is very difficult to insure them on your own due to pre-existing medical conditions. 

Now, the survivors benefits come in my children’s names and social security numbers, so I do not have to report that income to the IRS at tax time, however, when applying for Medicaid and any college loans(I am trying to go back to school), this money IS considered and therefore disqualifies my family from any public assistance-which is ok, because we are making it somehow.