No Need to Fear: Back to Work Incentives are Here!
Many people with disabilities are scared to go back to work because they fear that they will lose benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). People wonder if they can work and still receive Medicare and Medicaid. The truth is, you can go back to work and still receive these benefits through work incentives that the Social Security Administration (SSA) has created.
What is a work incentive? According to the SSA, work incentives are “Special rules that make it possible for people with disabilities receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to work and still receive monthly payments and Medicare or Medicaid” (www.ssa.gov). There are several different programs and work incentives that the SSA offers. We’ll discuss three in this edition: Ticket to Work Program, PASS (Plan for Achieving Self-Support), and Continued Medicaid Eligibility (Section 1619[B]).
Ticket to Work
The Ticket to Work Program is a voluntary program that offers SSA disability beneficiaries a greater choice in obtaining the support and services they need to reach their career goals. If you receive SSI or SSDI benefits based on disability or blindness, this program helps you get vocational rehabilitation, training, job referrals, and other support and services that are needed to reach your career goals. You must be 18 or older and have not reached the age of 65 to be eligible for a ticket. The SSA has contracted with MAXIMUS, Inc. to serve as the Operations Support Manager for the Ticket Program. To obtain more information you can visit their Web site at www.yourtickettowork.com or by calling 1-866-968-7842.
PASS
According to the SSA, PASS (Plan for Achieving Self-Support) is a plan that allows you to use your income or other things you own to help you reach your career goals. This plan allows you to set aside money to go to school to get specialized training for a job or to start a business. The job you want should allow you to earn enough to reduce or eliminate your need for benefits provided under both the Social Security and SSI programs. In order to have a plan you need to want to work, you receive SSI (or can qualify for SSI by having this plan) because you have a disability, and you have other income and/or resources to use to get a job or start a business.
To set up a plan you must contact your local Social Security office for an application (Form SSA-545BK) and write up a detailed business plan. You may want to talk to someone from the Small Business Administration or a vocational counselor you write up your business plan. You can include those costs in your plan. After you have completed the application and your detailed business plan you take or mail them to you local Social Security office and wait for approval. For more information about PASS visit www.ssa.gov or call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213.
Continued Medicaid Eligibility
Continued Medicaid Eligibility (Section 1619[B]) is a section of the Social Security Act that is designed to provide some protection to those beneficiaries who are concerned about losing their Medicaid if they return to work.
To qualify you must have been eligible for an SSI cash payment for at least one month, still be disabled, still meet other eligibility rules (including the resources test), need Medicaid in order to work, and have gross earned income that is insufficient to replace SSI, Medicaid, and any publicly funded attendant care. The SSA determines whether your earnings are high enough to replace your SSI and Medicaid benefits based on your “threshold amount.”
Your threshold amount is based on the amount of earnings which would cause your SSI cash payments to stop in your state and the annual per capita Medicaid expenditure for your state. However, if your gross earnings are higher than the threshold amount you may still be eligible if you have impairment-related work expenses, blind work expenses, a plan to achieve self-support (PASS), publicly funded attendant or personal care, or medical expenses above the state per capita amount.
Next month, we’ll take a look at some of the organizations the SSA partners with to support people with disabilities who want to return to work and attain career goals.
It would greatly benefit United Spinal Social Services to hear back from members who have been successful returning to the work force. For those trying to find employment, please let us know what some of your issues are and we will be happy to assist you in any way that we can. Contact Lindsey Whitcomb by e-mail (lwhitcomb@unitedspinal.org) or by calling 800-404-2898, ext. 269.
