As a Single Mother, My Journey from Facing My Child's Mental Disability to Receiving the Basic Disability Pension

Introduction

“What if I pass away and leave this child behind?”
If you are a mother with a child who has a disability,
isn't this something everyone thinks about?
What should I do for this child's future?
If I am no longer here, is a residential facility the place where my child can live with peace of mind?
A group home?
In that case, how much will it cost?

My daughter, who has a severe intellectual disability,
had strong fixations, repeatedly demanded the same things, and would let out strange cries.
I was doing my best just facing my daughter every day.
I had no room to think about the future.
When my daughter was attending a special needs school,
the disability pensionfelt like something for the distant future, like someone else's problem.
However, shortly before my daughter turned 20,
the day to face “reality”arrived.

This article documents my experience of actually applying for and receiving the“Basic Disability Pension,”as well as the confusion and realizations I felt along the way.
To all the mothers who are thinking, “Should I apply for the Basic Disability Pension now?”
and to those who are wondering,

“Is my child eligible?”I would be happy if this could give you even a little push.

About the Basic Disability Pension and the Date of First Medical Examination

The Basic Disability Pension is a pension that can be received by people who need support in their daily lives due to illness, injury, ormental disability*.You can start the application process from the day before your 20th birthday.


“It might be difficult for them to be independent and work in the future.”
“They need constant supervision in their daily life.”
This is a system to support the lives of such children.
※Mental disability includes:

intellectual disability, developmental disability, schizophrenia, mood disorders, higher brain dysfunction, epilepsy, depression, etc. In the case of congenital (from birth) intellectual disability, the date of the first medical examination is not the day you visited a hospital suspecting an intellectual disability, but the date of birth becomes the
“date of first medical examination.”

For developmental disabilities without intellectual disability, the day you first received medical treatment for subjective symptoms becomes the “date of first medical examination.”

What is needed to apply for the Basic Disability Pension

When applying, the following two documents are required:
・Medical certificate from a doctor
・Statement of medical history/employment status, etc.
Medical certificate from a doctor
This is prepared by a psychiatrist or psychosomatic medicine doctor.
It contains the degree of disability, medical history, and developmental history within 3 months before or after the 20th birthday.

Statement of medical history/employment status, etc.
This is filled out by the guardian who lives with the child every day.
Fill in the child's condition and living situation from childhood to the present in chronological order.
Thisstatementis what worries guardians the most.

I thought the Basic Disability Pension was still a long way off

My daughter didn't need to take medication until junior high school, and her hospital visits were about once every six months.
There is no cure for intellectual disability.
University hospitals make you wait for hours even with an appointment.
My daughter would want to wander around the large hospital,
and if there was a shop, she would gesture to tell me she wanted me to buy her snacks.
I would get frustrated and feel,
“She's not taking any medicine, so should I just stop the hospital visits?”
I felt.

At the end of the first semester, there was an explanation about the school trip.
My daughter's tension rises when the location changes, and she cannot fall asleep.
I felt it was a pity that she couldn't sleep on her school trip.
I thought it would also be a burden on the teachers.
Also, considering shifting her menstrual cycle, I consulted her doctor.
As a result, I decided to have them prescribe medicine to adjust her menstrual cycle and
a mild sleep aid.
“Please try it little by little before the trip.”
The explanation was.
I was scared.
“Is it really okay to give this to her?”
“What if there are side effects?”
My hesitation was swirling around.
While struggling with my own feelings, I decided to try giving her the medicine with trepidation.
Then, my daughter, who usually didn't fall asleep easily at home, slept soundly until morning.
I felt as if my heart had become lighter.

“Relying on medicine” - resistance
“I can still do more” - baseless confidence
“My child is fine!” - selfish assumption

What was I trying so hard for until now?
My fixation against medicine might have been causing stress to my daughter.
“It's okay to rely on medicine when necessary.”
I became able to think that way.
Around that time, we transitioned from the pediatric developmental outpatient clinic
to an adult psychiatry clinic. (This is called transition.)

With this as a trigger,
I made up my mind to continue taking the medicine and regular hospital visits.
At the time, it didn't even cross my mind that the hospital visits would lead to themedical certificate for the Basic Disability Pensionlater on.

The bank account I made in high school was unexpectedly useful

When my daughter entered high school, there was talk of a school trip again.
This time, I was told to prepare a Japan Post Bank account in her own name
to save up for the expenses.

There is a post office within walking distance from the school.
The children went to deposit the savings entrusted to them by their guardians
into their own accounts every month.
It was something the school thought of as a form of social study.
The Basic Disability Pension is deposited into a bank account in the person's own name.
Even children with severe disabilities are adults at 18.
While they are students and the procedures are relatively smooth,
let's open a bank account in the child's name before they turn 18.

When I actually applied for the Basic Disability Pension

After my daughter graduated from high school, I became a single mother.
I have no family to rely on.
I was under-educated to handle it alone.

At that time, I heard there was a study session about the Basic Disability Pension
at the Parents' Association, so I participated.
It was the time when parents of classmates whose birthdays were earlier than my daughter's
were starting the procedures.
I remember everyone was participating in the study session enthusiastically.
Among other things, they were asking deeply about the medical certificate.

“I have a hospital I take them to when they catch a cold, but a psychiatrist? I've never taken them there.”


This parent was starting from finding a hospital.It is too late
after your child turns 18.
That was when I realized how important it was that my daughter had amedical history.Finally, the day I did the application procedure myself.About a month before my daughter turned 20, I went to the pension counter at the city hall.
This was to receive the set of documents necessary to claim the Basic Disability Pension.

※You will not receive a “notice” from the city hall or pension office to apply for the Basic Disability Pension.
The guardian needs to go there.
From the person in charge at the counter,

I received detailed explanations about:
・Having a medical certificate created by a doctor at the hospital she visits
・How to fill out the statement of medical history/employment status, etc.

When I went to the hospital to get the medical certificate

First, I drafted the Statement of Medical History/Employment Status.

At that time, something called a "Support File" distributed by the "Te o Tsunagu Oya no Kai" (Parents' Association for Holding Hands) was very helpful.
This file had sections to fill in my daughter's medical history and the facilities she used when she was small.
I didn't have it filled out completely, but it saved me from having to look back through her Maternal and Child Health Handbook and other documents again.
Since my daughter attended special needs schools throughout elementary, junior high, and high school,
the sections for the Statement of Medical History/Employment Status
were not difficult,

and they were easily filled in with the information I had written in the "Support File".
Looking back now, that file played a good role.



I brought the draft of the statement to the hospital and confirmed with the attending physician what needed to be written in the medical certificate.It took about two weeks to complete, and the cost was 10,000 yen.
There is no problem with opening the medical certificate,
so be sure to make a copy before submitting it.

Fortunately, because my daughter had a history of hospital visits,the medical certificate was created without any issues.
The Statement of Medical History/Employment Status,
partly because the file existed,
"because it was severe, the procedure was smooth"


was the case.
I typed up the final version of the Statement of Medical History/Employment Statususing Excel.
There is a template on the Japan Pension Service website.
https://www.nenkin.go.jp/shinsei/jukyu/shougai/shindansho/20140516.html


There is an Excel sheet you can download and fill in from here.
I often hear that many people struggle with the process up to this point, hesitate to apply,or get stuck.
At the hospital,


"I couldn't get a medical certificate"

"I went to the hospital, but was told I wasn't eligible"

At the city office,
"I was given a bureaucratic response"
"The person at the counter isn't the one paying, yet they are condescending"

Guardians
"I can't write the statement well"
"I don't have time, so I'll put it off"
"I lack knowledge about the Basic Disability Pension"

That is where the nationwide "Te o Tsunagu Oya no Kai," as well as staff at "Employment Support Centers" and "Consultation Support Offices," are reassuring.
They are knowledgeable about welfare systems and will kindly consult with you on the application process and document preparation.
There is also the option of consulting a Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant (Sharoushi) who specializes in the Basic Disability Pension.
I have heard that there are cases where the costs are high or trouble occurs,
but there are also people who say,

"I met a reliable Sharoushi who kindly took on my consultation"

.

Points to note when writing the Statement of Medical History/Employment Status

In the statement, you fill in the state of life for each age period.

・Infancy (0 to 1 or 2 years old)
・Early childhood (kindergarten/nursery school)
・Elementary school
・Junior high school
・High school
・Adulthood (18 years old and older to present)

Also, fill in the names of the developmental support facilities you have used so far,
after-school day services,
and Type A/Type B continuous employment support offices.
Things that are very useful when writing this statement are
Maternal and Child Health Handbook / Report cards / Guardian's diaryand so on.
If you have "records" to help you remember"What was it like back then?"it becomes much easier to fill out.
Write honestly about the guardian's feelings, things you were troubled by,
and areas where you felt inconvenienced in daily life.

Children 20 years or older who can apply for the Basic Disability Pension

Children without a "Rehabilitation Handbook"Children who have not received the "Special Child Rearing Allowance" by age 20 due to the guardian's income,
even if they are currently employed in regular employment or are university students,
can apply for the Basic Disability Pension.
The following are examples of children who have newly applied for the Basic Disability Pension.
I hope you can use them as a reference to see if they apply to your own child.
My daughter's classmate K-chan (23 years old)
Nursery school
Elementary school (regular class)

Junior high school (regular class)
Graduated from a higher special needs school
General employment, regular staff at a nursing care facility
Rehabilitation Handbook B2
Has history of hospital visits and medication
K-kun (21 years old) attending a private university
Developmental support and nursery school
Elementary/Junior high school (support class)

Part-time public high school
Currently enrolled in a private university
Rehabilitation Handbook B2 / Autism
Hospital visits once a year, no medication
*If it is certified for a fixed term depending on the degree of disability,
renewal is required.

Keep a "record" of the day you visited the hospital without fail

When applying for the Basic Disability Pension,
"When did the treatment start?"
information becomes very important.
The day you first went to the hospital becomes the "initial consultation date."
If this initial consultation date cannot be proven, it may take time to apply,
or you may be at a disadvantage.
When you go to the hospital,the date of the visitand
a memo of what the content wasI recommend keeping.
Even a small memo will be a big help later when writing the statement.
If possible, it is reassuring to keep a diary or childcare records in an app or similar.
The feelings you felt as a parent at that time,
"anxiety, hesitation"and other movements of the heart are also important information in the statement.

Conclusion

To apply for the Basic Disability Pension, firsta doctor's medical certificateis required.
There were children who had no history of visiting a psychiatrist or psychosomatic medicine clinic.
There were families who rushed to find a hospital as they approached age 20.
Even if there is no medication, find a reliable doctor to have regular hospital visits and have a medical certificate created.


The Statement of Medical History/Employment Statusis where you write about the inconveniences the guardian felt due to the child's disability.For that purpose, keep childcare records in a diary or notebook.
There is meaning in writing down even trivial things.
I am currently facing the parenting of my second daughter (3rd grade of elementary school),
who has been diagnosed with ADHD.

I have started writing about my daily feelings, worries, and realizations on note.
As I wrote at the beginning, my eldest daughter has a severe intellectual disability.
And my second daughter also has a developmental disability.
My second daughter may also receive the Basic Disability Pension in the future.

I am a single mother.
I will struggle with money in the future.
I don't know if my second daughter will be able to work when she grows up.It is still a long way off, but bodies grow in the blink of an eye.
When I think about my child's future, there are days when I don't know what the right answer is.

"Does my child need a pension?"

"She's still young, so it's not relevant"
Are you thinking that?

It is by no means "someone else's problem."If you make good use of the "Basic Disability Pension,"
it will become a force to support your child and family.
Don't carry it alone, and together with someone you can consult with,

preparations you can make for your child
I want you to do.I was able to reach out just a little bit into my daughter's future.I hope my experience reaches you, who are worried somewhere.
Thank you for reading to the end.

People who supported this article

Momoko Kanzaki-sensei and everyone in the Momokatsu tribe,
thank you very much.