MORE CHILDREN GET DISABILITY PAYMENTS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 9, 1993                   TAG: 9303090169
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short
MORE CHILDREN GET DISABILITY PAYMENTS
The number of children who get federal disability benefits has more than doubled in the last three years, representing the fastest-growing segment of the $23 billion Supplemental Security Income program for the poor.
Some of the 635,000 children receiving payments were born prematurely or exposed to crack cocaine, alcohol or the HIV virus while in the womb, and experts expect they will need federal help for years to come.
The SSI program, part of Social Security, has long been considered a safety net for the poorest of America's elderly and disabled adults. Children have always been eligible, but were only a fraction of the recipients until recently.
In February of 1990, the Supreme Court threw out government regulations that made it more difficult for children to qualify for benefits than for adults.
New rules consider not only a child's medical condition, but also the effect those conditions have on their ability to walk, eat, dress themselves and perform other daily activities.
Since December of 1989, the number of children receiving SSI benefits more than doubled - from 296,298 to 635,938 in January 1993, and experts say the high court's ruling is largely responsible for the increase.
The government expects to spend $23.4 billion on SSI this year, almost twice the $12.5 billion spent in fiscal 1989.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB