Work Incentive Planning for Transition Age Youth: Effective Practices Webinar Series

1. Effective Use of Work Incentive Planning Services to Increase Employment Outcomes, Job Retention, and Self-Sufficiency Effective Practices Webinar Series March 19, 2013

2. Presenters • Richard Rosenberg Career Connection- Whittier Union High School District • Jolene Wyler Utah State Office of Rehabilitation • Tammy Liddicoat Employment Resources Inc.

3. Work Incentive Planning for Transition Age YouthCareer Connection- Whittier Union High School District

4. Learning Objectives How youth with disabilities and their families greatly benefit from Work Incentive information and from the Ticket to Work and Why it is always better to go to work

5. Youth who want to work and are successful!

6. Failure to focus on Social Security benefits during transition is not only a missed opportunity, but may also cause harm when students and family members are not educated about or prepared for the effect of earnings on cash benefits and medical insurance. - National Council on Disability, October 28, 2008

7. Career Connection Attend IEP’s Social Security Information Nights On- site Benefit consultation Collaboration with Career Connection and Social Security

8. Transition and Ticket to Work • Ticket to Work allows students to get training in real-life situations, getting “training wages” from Ticket to Work monies. • Getting a competitive training wage allows Transition students and their parents to “ease” into the Social Security Administration wage reporting arena. They are trained how, when, and where to report their earnings. • Staff Community Work Incentives Counselor (CWIC) attend Individual Employment Plan (IEP) meetings to explain the Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) and to help assure parents that they are available if they need assistance.

9. Career Connection and Social Security Collaboration • Partnership with Social Security Area Work Incentives Counselor (AWIC) • Contact within the Whittier Social Security Office dedicated to Career Connection • Students report earnings to Social Security • Career Connection reports student training wages earnings to Social Security • DOR housed on campus

10. SSI Work Incentives Supplemental Security Income (SSI) employment supports offer ways for you to continue receiving SSI checks and/or Medi-Cal coverage while you work. Some provisions can increase your net income to cover special expenses. Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) Impairment Related Work Expense (IRWE) Plan to Achieve Self Support (PASS)

11. Arnold R. SEIE

12. Jose N. Possible PASS Plan

13. Plan to Achieve Self Support (PASS) • Kidney Disease • Graduated from Adult Ed • Job as a receptionist at a hospital • Needed reliable transportation • PASS approved for $8,000 for a used car

14. Impairment Related Work Expense (IRWE) • Uses arm supports to walk • Has been successfully employed for six years • Wants to get a motorized wheelchair to have more mobility at work • Medi-Cal declined • CWIC and Ingo will discuss all possibilities

15. Partnership Plus: Miguel T.An Independent Man • Bridges YTD Participant • Department of Vocational Rehabilitation • Successful Closure • Employment Network (EN) - Career Connection

16. Thank you! Richard L. Rosenberg Ph.D. Richard.rosenberg@wuhsd.org Julie Johnson, CWIC Julie.johnson@wuhsd.org Teri Chang, CWIC Teri.chang@wuhsd.org GinniBachtelle Ginni.bachtelle@wuhsd.org

17. Work Incentive Planning within Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) A Successful PartnershipUtah Work Incentive Planning Services (UWIPS) Utah State Office of Rehabilitation

18. Learning Objective How housing work incentive planning services within a State Vocational Rehabilitation agency can be a winning partnership for everyone

19. Work Incentive Planning and Vocational Rehabilitation Services in Utah • History of UWIPS • Benefits of housing UWIPS under Vocational Rehabilitation • Structure • Funding • Statistics • Pilot • Impact study • The future

20. Our History • Vocational Rehabilitation buy-in started on day one by agreeing to administer UWIPS. • Additional grant funding was sought and partnerships formed. • BPAO and then the WIPA grant with Social Security. • BOPD (1 for 2) grant with Social Security. • Early intervention grant from Utah Governors Council for People with Disabilities. • Department of Workforce Services (One Stop Center) grant. • Workability Utah (MIG Grant)

21. Benefits of Housing UWIPS Under VR • Better VR closures through increased employment • Post closure UWIPS services • More holistic experience for the client • Uniform services • Quality control • Consistent training • One supervision point • VR is a natural referral source

22. Utah’s Structure • 10.5 Benefits Specialists serving clientele statewide. • 8 - full time Benefits Specialists • 6 of those Benefits Specialists are embedded in Vocational Rehabilitation offices. • 1 - ½ time trainer/½ time Self Employment Benefits Specialist • 1 – Supervisor with a ½ time caseload • 1 – ½ time Benefits Specialist serving deaf and hard of hearing caseload. (ASL) • UWIPS serves all Social Security beneficiaries, not just VR clients • Approximately 58% of our referrals come from VR. • Approximately 78% of our clientele are VR clients.

23. Funding Breakdown for Utah Work Incentive Planning Services (UWIPS)

24. UWIPS Referrals 2009 - 2012

25. UWIPS/Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Intakes

26. UWIPS Pilot • Benefits Specialist meets with individuals upon VR eligibility determination. • UWIPS created an enhanced planning tool for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Beneficiaries. • Tool can be used: • To promote informed choice. • By client and vocational rehabilitation counselor to develop a more realistic employment goal.

27. Goals of the Pilot • Informed choice • More realistic VR employment goals • Lower rate of return to VR services due to loss of employment • More successful closures • Increased financial independence for clientele. • Discussion of cost reimbursement vs. milestone reimbursement for Ticket with VR

28. Utah’s Pilot Tool

29. Utah’s Pilot Tool Continued

30. BPAO/WIPA Impact Study Purpose • To assess the impact of a written benefits analysis by BPAO (UWIPS) on VR clients’ outcomes in terms of: • Employment • Income • VR closure status • Contracted study through Center for Public Policy & Administration at the University of Utah by the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation (USOR)

31. Summary of Findings • For the quarter after closure, the program group is 14.93% more likely to be employed than the control group, based on UI data. For the quarter prior to application, there is no difference between the program and control groups’ employment rates • Based on the descriptive statistics, those who received a written analysis were 16.84% more likely to have the closure status of “successfully employed”

32. The Future • UWIPS will continue to work with VR to enhance employment supports for SSA beneficiaries • Continued VR support is crucial to UWIPS • Renewed Social Security funding and support is critical to reach out to underserved beneficiaries • UWIPS will continue to seek new ways to support increased employment of Social Security beneficiaries • UWIPS will explore enhanced funding under the Ticket to Work

33. Thank you! Jolene Wyler, Program Director  Utah Work Incentive Planning Services 1595 West 500 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84104 Office: 801.887.9393 FAX: 801.887.9389 Toll Free: 866.454.8397 Email: jwyler@utah.gov

34. It’s all in the Continuum… Supporting Working Ticket Holders through Collaboration, Benefits Support and Work Incentives PlanningEmployment Resources Inc. (ERI)

35. Learning Objectives Why a continuum of services between VR agencies and ENs makes sense for all parties and Ways to communicate with VR agencies about collaboration and the importance of work incentives planning for Ticket Holders prior to closure

36. About ERI • Small non-profit • Big focus on benefits/work incentives and employment for over 18 years – direct service and training • ERI understands complicated benefits systems beneficiaries must operate under

37. Should we become an Employment Network (EN)? • Decision driven by: • Potential value of Ticket (post VR) • All could WIN with collaboration • What we do best – benefits and work incentives

38. Potential value of Ticket (post VR) • Nationally State VR Agencies close approximately 24,000 cases per year with beneficiaries working above Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA). • Typically, less than 50% of these beneficiaries are still working above SGA after 9 months. • State VR Agencies can get reimbursed by SSA for all costs associated with serving a beneficiary when they achieve 9 continuous months of SGA+ earnings within a 12-month period.

39. Potential value of Ticket (post VR) • Ticket Post VR has potential value of over $15,000 • 10,000 people at SGA x $15,000 = $15 million • Readily available $$ = Opportunity for ENs

40. All could WIN with collaboration Together we could: • Increase cost reimbursement for VR • Capture readily available funding for employment retention purposes • Reduce VR “revolving door” • Increase long term self sufficiency for beneficiaries

41. ERI Plus EN • Mission: • Find new source of funding for benefits planning • Increase potential for employment retention • Who we serve: • People Already Working Substantially (PAWS)

42. Rolled out strategy, marketing…

43. 2008 – 2009 • Conversations began in WI • ERI pulled together stakeholder meetings • Social Security Administration, Community Rehabilitation Programs, State VR agency, others  • At the same time, VR was seeking Wisconsin ENs to refer customers to. • Served just a few Ticket holders

44. 2010 - 2011 Requested meeting • VR leadership • Individual VR Workforce areas - staff meetings • VR policy meetings, supervisors meeting • State Rehabilitation Council

45. 2011 - 2012 • Presented at several disability-related conferences together • VR revised closure policies • Formal Partnership Plus agreement developed together • TTW staff hired at VR Sustaining, income generating EN! VR Relationship key when WIPA went away!

46. Benefits and Work Incentives Planning What we have learned and what we do…

47. Beneficiaries working at SGA are in the THICK of dealing with benefits issues • Many have skills to find their own jobs • MOST lack skills, information on their benefits Service = Arm with information, support… • benefits check up or analysis • work incentives planning • help in navigating various benefits agencies

48. Overpayments cause people to stop working • Social Security overpayments are a given. • SSA records not in “real time.” Service: Facilitate best practice in reporting, getting records up to date; Prepare for overpayments we anticipate.

49. Health issues interrupt work. • Episodic health needs are inherent in disability • Recovery = back to work. Service: Manage flexible healthcare access (Medicaid, Medicare)

50. Poverty hampers employment success. • Impoverishment = access to benefits • Most have few, if any assets • Many cases huge debt… • Medical bills, student loans, auto expenses Service: Referrals to financial coaching and resources