I read recently that November is National Adoption Month. I also read that there is an increasing number of children waiting for adoption and parents who wish to adopt them. More than 100,000 children are adopted every year by American families. Some are adopted through local child- welfare systems, some by stepparents or family friends or relatives of children whose parent or parents have died, and some are children from other countries. If you are considering adoption, or if you already have adopted, there is important information you should know about adopted children and Social Security. All adoptive parents should know that their child usually needs a Social Security number (SSN) if they intend to claim him or her on their income tax returns or get medical coverage or apply for any government services for the child. If possible, it is best to apply for a Social Security card after the process has been completed. Then they can apply for the number using the child's new name and their own names as parents. If adoptive parents want to claim their child for tax purposes while the adoption is still pending, they should contact the Internal Revenue Service for Form W-7A (Application for Taxpayer Identification Number for Pending U.S. Adoptions). If the child already had a Social Security number before adoption, and you want to report a name change to Social Security, you need to complete an application for a Social Security Card (Form SS-5). You need to show proof of the child's
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U.S. citizenship or immigration status, proof of the child's name change (the adoption degree) and proof of the child's identity. You also must provide proof of your identity as the child's adoptive parent.

The process for getting an SSN can be slightly more involved for parents adopting children from outside the United States. Although children immigrating to the United States qualify for citizenship, Social Security still requires specific documents to issue SSNs. Parents of children adopted from abroad should call SSA's toll-free number shown at the end of this column.

If you are the parent of an adopted child with a disabling condition, your child may qualify for benefits under the Supplemental Security Income program, also known as SSI. SSI can pay monthly benefits to children who are disabled and whose families have little income and resources. A child under 18 is considered disabled if his or her physical or mental condition is so severe that it results in severe functional limitations, and if the condition is expected to last at least 12 months. There are other Social Security benefits and situations that parents of adopted children should know about. For example, Social Security provides benefit payments to the widow or widower and children (natural or adopted) of deceased workers. If a widowed parent remarries and the new spouse wants to adopt the child as his or her own, the child's survivors benefit payments would continue until the child reaches age 18 (or up to age 19 if attending elementary or secondary school full time).

To learn more about SS benefits for children, visit www.SocialSecurity.gov/kids/parent1.htm. To learn more about getting a Social Security number, visit our Web site at www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber, or call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) and ask for a copy of "Social Security Numbers for Children." Anthony Renzoni is district manager of the Bridgeport office of the Social Security Administration. His column appears every Monday.