Some homeschool families rely on Social Security benefits for support. So how do they continue homeschooling when benefits are denied based on their educational choice? Find out on today’s Home School Heartbeat, with host Mike Farris.
Mike Farris:
My guest today is Darren Jones. Darren, welcome to the program.
Darren Jones:
Thanks very much!
Mike:
Darren is one of the HSLDA staff attorneys and we’re glad he’s on our team. Darren, you’ve represented many homeschooling families who have had their Social Security benefits illegally taken away. Can you share why this happens and what HSLDA does to protect these families?
Darren:
Sure. The issue in all of the Social Security survivor’s benefits cases is the same: once a child turns 18, he has to prove that he’s a full-time student in order to continue receiving benefits until he graduates, and for public school students, this isn’t hard—you just get a school official to sign a form. Homeschoolers though, often have had a tougher time. Just recently down in Georgia, I helped a family get their benefits reinstated when they spent several years fighting for them. The local office hadn’t understood what the law said and really kind of messed things up for the family. So, I flew down and explained the situation to a very understanding judge, and we shortly had a decision that gave the student all her benefits.
Mike:
Darren, thanks so much for the hard work that you’ve done for families who’ve suffered the loss of a parent and, the government simply turns a blind eye to the reality of the law. I appreciate your work. I’m Mike Farris.
