Thomas P. Golden, Associate Director, Faculty Employment and Disability Institute July 12, 2011

2. The Role of Benefits and Employment in Recovery Thomas P. Golden, Associate Director, Faculty Employment and Disability Institute July 12, 2011 2 www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi

3. Overview • Recovery as ‘becoming’ • Why benefits are important • Myths about recovery, benefits and work • Strategies for integrating benefits and earnings into the recovery process

4. Recovery is a … • “deeply personal, unique process of changing one’s attitudes, values, feelings, goals, skills and/or roles. It is a way of living a satisfying, hopeful, and contributing life even with limitations caused by illness.” (Anthony, 1993) • The concept of recovery provides both a capacity-based perspective of disability as well as a holistic, functional supports approach to service delivery. Anthony, W. A. (1993). Recovery from mental illness: The guiding vision of the mental health service system in the 1990’s. Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal, 16(4), 11-23.

5. Recovery… • Embraces citizenship and community roles • Considers personal attitudes, beliefs and values • Is goal-oriented • Builds on and develops capacities • Restores hope, well-being and life satisfaction • Facilitates contributions • Creates safety nets and supports

6. Stages of recovery (homelessness) • Factors to Recovery • Goal-orientation (self-direction and responsibility) • Income (assistance or earnings) • Health care • Preventative knowledge • Housing Ralph, S. (2009, January 2). Stages of Homelessness: Medical issues and job loss can destabilize families. The Holland Sentinel. Retrieved online at http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x497776004/Stages-of-Homelessness-Medical-issues-and-job-loss-can-destabilize-families

7. Facets of recovery (disability)

8. Recovering from homelessness and a disability or medical condition • Common facets: • Income and assistance • Health care • Secure housing • Self-management • Intervention and treatment • Meaningful roles and activities • Education and knowledge • Supports and safety nets

9. Important role of benefits • Unearned income and cash assistance can cultivate a stable foundation, providing a critical safety net for individuals in crisis—restoring balance albeit at a minimum threshold • Healthcare can ensure that basic well-being is restored and maintained • Income and healthcare together can meet basic needs, instill hope and direction, allowing the individuals to address higher level needs

10. Important role of work • Work can provide earned income that can supplement other forms of unearned income and cash assistance an individual may receive • Work creates positive identity and a sense of purpose and value • Work instills hope, confidence and esteem • Work fosters citizenship and other valued roles in society • Work is therapeutic

11. Myths

12. Current recovery strategy timeline …and then we can talk about and plan for work

13. Integration strategies • Critical Component One (building local capacity): • Ensure that case managers, outreach workers and benefits practitioners are cross-trained on capacity-based assessment and work plan development • Develop articulation agreements with community employment partners • “Work is everyone’s business”

14. Critical Component Two (outreach/contact): • Begin framing employment aspirations and introducing concept of work with the individual • Discuss downside of benefits dependence • Provide consumer with orientation to employment agency partners • Critical Component Three (applicant engagement): • Provide training to consumers on benefits self-management approaches • Initiate referrals for employment and/or protection and advocacy services and supports

15. Critical Component Four (data collection): • While collecting information to establish medical determination of disability, also gather capacity-based information on the individual, their preferences, interests and abilities • Discuss potential work supports available to the individual beyond cash and health benefits (e.g. Ticket to Work, work incentives, EXR, etc) • Introduce concept of benefits as a short-term safety net • Begin developing an individualized work plan for the individual that incorporates broad work goals and potential supports the individual may need

16. Critical Component Five (assessment): • Initiate self-discovery and work assessments to identify interests, preferences, capacities and support needs • Provide information and referral on community employment partners when appropriate • Critical Components Six-Ten (connecting): • Secure release of information for community employment partners • Initiate joint planning meetings with community employment partners when warranted • Provide additional training to consumer on how benefits can provide a short-term safety net

17. Critical Component Eleven (employment): • Consider becoming an Employment Network under the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program to better meet the employment-related needs of the consumers you serve—SOAR sustainability strategy • Assist consumers in evaluating Employment Networks available in your geographic vicinity • Once benefits are awarded and individual has expressed an interest in working, make referral to have a comprehensive benefits and work incentives planning and assistance report completed • Assist consumer’s making informed choices to work in developing work incentives support plans

18. Critical Component Twelve (outcome tracking): • Track labor market participation data • Track quality assurance and customer satisfaction data • Critical Component Thirteen (sustainability): • Consider certification of benefits and work incentives practitioners and subsequent fee-for-service program with other community employment partners—SOAR sustainability strategy • Consider Employment Network expansion—SOAR sustainability strategy

19. Joe Marrone… • “If you think work is bad for people with significant disabilities, then what about poverty, unemployment and social isolation?” Marrone, J. Retrieved from www.workinghealthy.org/downloads/EmploymentSummitDVD7_4.pdf

20. Thomas GoldenEmployment and Disability InstituteCornell UniversityILR School201 ILR Extension BuildingIthaca, New York 14853t. 607.255.2731f. 607.255.2763tpg3@cornell.eduwww.ilr.cornell.edu/edi