Children and SS disability $

[KatieNBoyd]

I would like some advice from those of you that are in-charge of your PALS children's SS disability monies and how you keep track of what it is spent on also what it can be used on. Thanks

 

[gooseberry]

It is for anything for the child however the account cant hold over 2k and they cant get say a car valued at 2k or the money could stop. Once a month I let Julien buy groceries from his account and I transfer the money into an account that has my name but will be his.

I keep a hanging file folder and place the receipts in it

 

[Narrowminded]

I don't know if you know how to use a spreadsheet like Excel or Numbers on a Mac, but you can record all of the expenditures there (keep the receipts for proof), but at least they will be catagorized. I know that Numbers has a pre-done Budget that works nicely. While we don't have children on there (ours are too old), since I'm the representative Payee for my husband, I hae to keep track of where his money goes. Hope that helps.

Sue

 

[gooseberry]

Yes excel would work also.

 

[Dizmom]

I get the SSDI for my son, but noone ever told me I had to keep track of the expenditures. Aren't a roof over his head heat in the winter and clothes considered expenses for them? I have no idea what the money has been spent on. He has healthy balance which I am keeping in the account for him when he goes to college, do I now have to explain where some of the money went??
I will just show them the mortgage payments, electric bill etc?
Where is it that you can find this information that you need to account for the money?

 

[gooseberry]

They sent me a booklet when I started to get Juliens benefits. Probably available online.

 

[KatieNBoyd]

Great thank you, Yes I have already begun a Numbers spread sheet. I will look to see if they have a booklet on line (Yep Found it) https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10076.pdf . I like the idea of buying the groceries thanks Goose. Tell Julien howdee from us (Hailey turns 15 this weekend) She truly understands how he is feeling. She has been such a great help with her Dad as this disease continues to take him away from us both.

 

[gooseberry]

Also, school clothes, activities, school supplies, etc. They told me they send a letter each year asking what you did with the money. Having it categorized will be helpful. We just started so I am not that organized yet.

 

[Matadog]

I'm with Dizmom on this. I very well may have received something but didn't read the entire packed.

 

[Atsugi]

Never found it necessary to keep track of anything. Once a year, I would receive a form to fill out. The form says in effect: "How much money did you save, out of what we sent you for your kids." I wrote zero and sent it back.

The form is just their way of ensuring all the money has been spent on the kids. If you have any left over, or if you save it up, that's bad.

Over those several years, I never documented anything, no receipts, no spreadsheet.

 

[Nuts]

So here's the deal: you spend it on the children's care, housing, etc. There is nothing left over.

You save other money, if possible, for their education.

I started with detailed record keeping when my stepdaughters lost their mother, but quickly agreed with my husband that housing, food, medical and transportation more than consumed the amount and the other details were handled from our income.

Becky

 

[gooseberry]

Great way to look at it Becky and Mike. They seriously had a talk at ssi and in the packet about documenting everything. It kind of freaked me out.