Guardianship

  

Guardianship isn't something that most people ever think about.  You are your child's guardian until they turn 18 and then *poof*-they're adults.  That's fine and dandy when you have a typical child.  When you have one with a disability, it really throws a wrench in things.  We had heard mumblings about guardianship for the last few years and really started looking into it for Ryan when he turned 17 last year.  What we found is that there is not a ton of information out there for parents.  When your disabled child becomes a disabled adult, doctors and hospitals will no longer talk to you (which is tricky when your child is non-verbal).  We started the process of finding at attorney last summer and finally had our court hearing Monday where I was granted guardianship and conservatorship of Ryan.  Other things on the list of to-do's have included applying for adult Medicaid for the blind and disabled and a phone interview to apply for SSI for him.  What I have discovered is that every state has different processes and laws and there is often a catch 22.  For example: 

Social Security wants the bank account number for where his eventual benefit will be deposited in preparation for our SSI interview

Bank says I must be a representative payee to set up said account

To become a representative payee I must be approved and appointed through Social Security

Social Security says they will do the representative payee intake during the SSI interview..(see the problem here?)

I feel fortunate that I have friends and family who have helped me navigate this process but even I feel like I've known the questions to ask and the direction to go.  I know there are those out there who have no idea how to get started.  There must be a better way!