Employment for Youth in Transition

www.WorkWithoutLimits.org

Employment for Youth in Transition

www.WorkWithoutLimits.org 2

REMINDER!

‘Work + Benefits’ =

POSSIBLE!


Going to Work II Goals …

Review …The Different Disability Benefit Programs.What Work Incentives Are.

Learn … Which Work Incentives Are Available Under Each

Program. What They Are & Start Thinking About How You

Can Use Them Along Your Path To Success!


Let’s Get Started!


What Are The Main Differences?

SSI - Based On Disability +

Financial Need

- Work History Isn’t Required

- Healthcare = Medicaid

MassHealth Immediately

SSDI- Based On Disability Only

- Work History Is Required

- Healthcare = Medicare

After 2 Years of Getting SSDI

Supplemental Security Income Social Security Disability Insurance


They Are Social Security “Safety Nets” & ProgramsThat When You Work, Could Allow You To Either:

+Keep More Of Your Benefits Or

+Keep Them Longer,

+ & They Help Preserve Your Health Insurance

What’s Available To You Will Depend On What Benefits You Currently Get …

Work Incentives Recap…


Here Are Some Basic Work Incentives…

SSI

- Student Earned

Income Exclusion

- Blind Work

Expenses

SSI & SSDI

-Impairment Related Work Expenses

-Expedited Reinstatement

-Plan to Achieve Self Support

SSDI - Trial Work Period

- Extended Period

of Eligibitly


Supplemental

Security Income (SSI)

WORK INCENTIVES


Work Incentives…

Student Earned Income Exclusion

SEIE Allows You To:• Go to School & Work and or• Even Get a Summer Job

• Make up to $1,750/month & NOT Impact Your SSI Check Whatsoever!

SSI Reminder: Report Student Status & Earnings To Social

Security Every Month!


Work Incentives…

Student Earned Income Exclusion

In Order For You To Use

SEIE, You MUST Be:

21 or Younger,

Regularly Attending School,

& Working.

SSI


What’s ‘Attending School’?

Junior High School High School Home School

Technical School Community College University

SEIE

It’s When You Attend One Of The Following

For 8-12 Hours A Week:


Work Incentives…

BlindWork Expenses

BWEs Are ANY Necessary Goods or Services You Pay For So You Can Work. You …MUST Be Statutorily Blind &Working to Get FULLY

Reimbursed For These BWE Expenses In Your SSI Check!

SSI


Unrelated EXs:

• Transportation• Meals During Work• State/Federal Taxes

Related EXs:

• Dr./Rx Copayments• Service Animals• Adaptive Devices

What Kind of Expenses Are BWEs?BWE

These Expenses Can Be Related or Unrelated To Your Medical Condition.

Reminder:Keep receipts of BWEs

& submit them when you report your monthly

wages to Social Security!


Social Security

Disability Insurance (SSDI)

WORK INCENTIVES


Work Incentives…

Trial WorkPeriod

If You’re On SSDI & Start Working, Your TWP Will Be The 1st Incentive Available To You. It Will Allow You To: • Work Anywhere For 9 Months &

Make As Much As You Want

• You’ll Still Get Your FULL SSDI Check For These 9 Months

SSDI REMINDER:Report to

Social Security Once You Start

Working!

This means that you could be making a

million dollars & still get your SSDI check!


Your Trial Work Period (TWP) Will End When You Use 9 TWP Months Within 5 Years.

1 TWP Monthly Gross TWP Limit

Used Earnings ($770 in 2014)

How Does TWP

Exactly Work?TWP

NO TWP month is used if your monthly gross earnings are below

that year’s TWP limit!

By the way, the TWP limit usually increases every calendar year or

stays the same.


Let’s See Some TWP Examples!


Months Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May

Juan’s Gross Monthly Earnings

$800 $800 $800 $800 $800 $800 $800 $800 $800

FULLSSDI Check

ReceivedYES … Juan Received Both His Work & SSDI Check For All Of These 9 Months!

TWP Month

CompletedYES

$800 > $770

YES$800 > $770

YES$800 > $770

YES$800 > $770

YES$800 > $770

YES$800 > $770

YES$800 > $770

YES$800 > $770

YES$800 > $770

Situation 1:Juan, a junior who loves sports, makes $800/month working as a part-time referee for 9 straight months during the school year …

Months In A 5 Year PeriodTWP

So What Does This Mean?Juan’s TWP will have ended by the end of May because he used a total

of 9 Trial Work Period months within a 5 year period …


Months In A 5 Year PeriodTWP

Year Sep - May Jun Jul Aug What Happened …

2009 Attended 1st Year of College

$800 $800 $800 Kate started getting SSDI going into her freshman year. And even though when she worked she was always over the TWP limit, she still got her Full SSDI check for all of her 9 TWP months.

Worked summer job at Petco

2010 Attended 2nd Year of College Didn’t work during this summer

2011 Attended 3rd Year of College

$900 $900 $900

Worked summer job at animal shelter

2013 Attended 4th Year & Graduated

$1,000 $1,000 $1,000

Started working full-time at zoo

Situation 2:Kate just graduated from college, has always had a passion for animals, & has worked a few summer jobs over the past 5 years…

So What Does This Mean?Because Kate’s gross monthly earnings were over the TWP limit for both her summer jobs and continued to be over with her new job at

the zoo, her 9th and final TWP month was August of 2013.


Well What Happens After My

Trial Work Period (TWP) Ends?


Work Incentives…

ExtendedPeriod ofEligibility

You Automatically Enter Into A 3-year Safety Net Known As Your EPE. This Incentive : Keeps Your SSDI Case Open

It Acts Like A Faucet. Depending On Your Monthly Gross Earnings, It Can Either ‘Turn Off’ Or ‘Turn On’ Your SSDI Check For That Particular Month.

SSDI


Once Your Trial Work Period Ends & You’re In Your Extended Period Of Eligibility, Social Security

Determines Every Month If Your…

How Does This Work?EPE

Monthly

Work

Earnings

Substantial

Gainful

Activity


It’s A Dollar Amount That Social Security Uses To CompareYour Gross Monthly Earnings To. In 2014, The SGA Amount Is

$1,070. So During Your 3-Year EPE, For The Months That Your:

But What’s Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)? EPE

Monthly Earnings < SGA = You’re Entitled To An SSDI CHECK

Monthly Earnings > SGA = You’re Not Entitled To An SSDI CHECK

And For The Months That Your …


Take a look at Kate’s situation below. Will she be entitled to an SSDI check considering her raise and what she made in June of 2014?

Check Or No Check?EPE

August2013

• Her Trial Work Period ends

September 2013

• She enters into her 3-year Extended Period of Eligibility

June 2014

• She continues working at the zoo and gets a raise this month making $1,100 per month


***********************************************************************

Not Entitled To AnSSDI Check

Because her Gross Earnings in June Are Over The 2014 SGA Amount of $1,070


Will Kate be entitled to an SSDI check considering what happened to her in July of 2014?

August2013

• Her Trial Work Period ends

September 2013

• She enters into the Extended Period of Eligibility

June 2014

• She continues working at the zoo and gets a raise this month making $1,100 per month

July 2014

• She reduced her hours this month and only made $1,000 in July

Check Or No Check?EPE


Yes, She’s Entitled To Her SSDI Check

+She’ll Get Her Work Check

Note: Kate has been consistently reporting all work activity to Social

Security throughout the entire process!

**************************************************************************Because Her Gross Earnings in July Are Under

The 2014 SGA Amount of $1,070


****************************************************NOTE:

The previous example was strictly for teaching purposes on how the EPE generally works.

To get specific information on your work situation, contact a Community Work Incentive Coordinator near you.

This information is available at the end of the presentation.

********************************************************************


Guess What SSDI Recipients?


That May Be Available To You & That Can Help You Lower The Amount Of Monthly Earnings You Make In Social Security’s Eyes.

Let’s take a look at Kate again …

You Have Even More Work Incentives …SSDI

Kate really made $1,100in gross earnings for the

month of June …

Other Work Incentives

Applied

Because Social Security approved this work incentive, they only counted $1,050 as

Kate’s earned income for June.

But since she learned about these other work incentives,

she realized she was possibly eligible for one so she

informed Social Security …


Impairment

Related Work

Expenses

• Medically-related expenses you pay for in order for you to work.

• E.G. Copayments, special equipment, etc.

Special Conditions /

Subsidy

• Extra supports at work that you receive, but don’t pay for.

• E.G. job coach, longer breaks, etc.

Income Averaging

• Used only if your work earnings fluctuate greatly and often

• E.G. varied hours, seasonal work, etc.

Unsuccessful Work Attempt

• Only occurs if you can’t work more than 6 months straight.

That May Be Applied During Monthly

Substantial Gainful Activity Decisions


Because Kate notified Social Security that she had a job coach in June, they only counted $1,050 of her June earnings instead of the

full $1,100 that she actually made.

Because of this, her June earnings in Social Security’s eyes fell below SGA ($1,070 in 2014), which made her entitled to both of her …

More Work Incentives…SSDI

SSDI Check$$

Work Check$$


WORK INCENTIVESfor both

SSDI & SSI Recipients


The following incentives are available under both SSI & SSDI disability programs:

→Impairment Related Work Expenses

→Plan to Achieve Self Sufficiency

→Expedited Reinstatement

Work Incentives…SSI&

SSDISSI

&

SSDI


ImpairmentRelated WorkExpenses

IRWEs Are Medically-Related Expenses YOU Need To Work & That You Pay For…

• For SSI → ½ The Cost Is Paid Back In Your SSI Check

• For SSDI → IRWEs Can Help Lower Your Gross Earnings In The Eyes Of Social Security


SSDI


Plan toAchieve SelfSufficiency

A PASS Plan Allows You To Put $$ Aside To Reach Your Work Goal. ToQualify You Must: Have A Clear Employment Goal

• By The Way, School Can Be A Part Of Your Goal

Have Other $$ Besides SSI. • You Don’t Have To Be Working. But

More $$ Is Always Helpful To Have. Fill & Submit An Application


SSDI NOTE: The application is long, but it’ worth it. Plus, you can get

guidance from a Community Work Incentive Coordinator

or from other free resources!


Work Incentives…

Plan toAchieve SelfSufficiency

In Your PASS Account You

Can Put All Or Part Of Your …

• (If on SSI) Work Check So You Get More In Your SSI Check

• (If on SSDI) SSDI Check Making You Likely Eligible For SSI

• (If on SSI & SSDI) SSDI Check So You Get More In Your SSI Check

Note: The $$ In Your PASS Account Can Only Be Spent On Things That Are Explicitly Stated In Your PASS Plan …

SSI&

SSDI


So Before Applying For A Pass …

Ask Yourself …

“Could I Live Off The Money That Isn’t In My PASS

Account?”

If You Need Help Answering This, Get Guidance From A

Community Work Incentive Coordinator Near You.


ExpeditedReinstatement

If Your Disability Claim Were To Ever Close Due To Work Earnings, This Incentive May Allow You To Get BackOn Them Without Having To Reapply If:

You Apply Within 5 Years Of Termination Your Earnings Are Below The Substantial

Gainful Activity Amount For That Year & You’re Still Medically Eligible


SSDI SO DON’T WORRY! GIVE YOURSELF & WORK A CHANCE!


As You Can See … Whether You’re On SSI, SSDI, Or Both, Social Security

Has Created These Work Incentives So…

You Can Give Yourself & Work A Chance!

So Start By Thinking About Your Situation, Know That You Can Work, & That These Incentives WillHelp You On Your Path To Financial Independence!


And If You Need Help …

Feel Free To Contact Your Nearest Community Work Incentives Coordinator (CWIC)!

CWICs Are Devoted to Erasing The Fears & Myths Around ‘Work + Benefits’ by Supplying Disability Beneficiaries Who Are Currently

Working or Actively Seeking Employment With Accurate Information Around Their Work Incentive Options & Rights.

In Massachusetts, There Are Two Programs Equipped With A Team Of Dedicated CWICs. Contact Them Today!

Project IMPACT1-877-YES-WORK

(937-9675) 1-617-204-3854


Thank You!

Documents

Employment for Youth in Transition