Yes You Can Work! Working While Applying for and Receiving SSA - - PDF document

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Yes You Can Work!

Working While Applying for and Receiving SSA Benefits

PRESENTED BY: AMY LAMERSON, MSW SSI OHIO PROJECT MANAGER SOAR STATE LEAD FOR OHIO

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What is SOAR?

SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR) helps increase access to Social Security AdministraAon (SSA) disability benefits for people who are experiencing

• r at risk of homelessness by providing SSA with complete and comprehensive
• applicaAons. Use of the SOAR process significantly increases approval rates on

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) applicaAons, resulAng in a significant step toward recovery for individuals who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. For many persons in recovery accessing benefits is a first step. But SOAR extends beyond and also encourages employment as a means to increase individual income and further promote

• recovery. Supported Employment, especially the Individual Placement and

Support (IPS) model, is proven to help increase employment for people with disabiliAes.

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Learning ObjecPves

§ Gain a beQer understanding of SSA’s work incenPves and

related resources. § Gain a beQer understanding of employment resources available to SOAR applicants and beneficiaries. § Gain a beQer understanding of how SOAR providers can effecPvely collaborate with IPS supported employment providers.

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Why Are We Talking About Employment in a Disability training?

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Working for More than Income

ü Self-worth and self-confidence ü Define a role for the person in the community ü Foster a connecPon to others ü Add structure to daily life ü CriPcal step in recovery

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Common Myths

§ If you work, your SSI/SSDI applicaPon will be automaPcally denied § Benefits and health insurance end immediately when start working § You can only work part-Pme while receiving disability § If Social Security knows you are working, they will say you aren’t disabled anymore Luckily for the people we serve, these myths are false!

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SOAR as an Agent of Hope

§ Employment is possible during and aYer an applicaPon for SSI/SSDI § Develop experPse in work incenPves offered by SSA and give examples of how work will affect benefits § IdenPfy and collaborate with employment support services

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Start Talking About Work

§ Begin the conversaPons early and have them oYen § Remind the individual that it is their decision, let him/her weigh pros and cons § Provide reassuring and encouraging messages § Ensure the applicant is equipped with accurate informaPon about working while applying for and receiving SSI/SSDI

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Employment ConversaPon Guide and SAMPLE Responses

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Yes You Can Work! Myths & Facts

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Benefits Planning Is EssenPal

§ Impact on Social Security income, health insurance and other benefits § ReporPng earnings § Maximizing SSA work incenPves

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Working While Disabled: How Social Security Can Help

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What Are The SSDI and SSI Programs?

Social Security Disability Insurance provides benefits to disabled or blind people who are “insured” by workers’ contribuAons to the SSA trust fund. SSI makes cash assistance payments to the aged, blind and disabled who have limited income and assets.

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SSI benefits

Generally, the more income an individual has, the lower his or her benefit will be, however, there are some exclusions that help then individual keep a higher benefit payment, such as:

Earned income exclusion IRWE Student earned Income exclusion Blind work expenses Plan to achieve self support

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AYer Approval for SSI/SSDI

§ Income Exclusion for SSI § Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) § Income Exclusion for SSI § Trial Work Period (TWP) § Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE) § Subsidy § Impairment-Related Work Expense (IRWE) § Expedited Reinstatement of Benefits (EXR)

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SubstanPal Gainful Employment (SGA)

What is substanAal gainful acAvity? SGA is work acAvity either as an employee or a self- employed person It is used as a guideline to determine iniAal and conAnuing disability enAtlement for SSDI beneficiaries and iniAal enAtlement for SSI recipients.

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SGA Amounts 2017

Non Blind $1170 per month ($1130 in 2016) Blind $1950 per month ($1820 in 2016)

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Work IncenPves

Work IncenAves are SSA rules that help beneficiaries keep their benefits as they explore work. By using Work IncenAves, beneficiaries can make more money, gain new skills, and achieve greater independence through work.

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What happens to cash benefits?

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) § Income Exclusion § Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) § Trial Work Period § Extended Period of Eligibility $$ Work Pays $$

While Applying for SSI/SSDI

Yo You can work during the applicaPon process SSA looks at the type and amount of work § Earn up to $1,130/month, $1,170/month (2017) § Can help to strengthen the applicaPon § Might find that supported employment works beQer for individual Strategy: Encourage work from the start

AYer Approval for SSI/SSDI

Yo You ca can w work wh

• rk while r

ile receivin eceiving S g SSI/S I/SSDI DI § SSA’s Ticket to Work § www.chooseworkQw.net § Supported Employment Programs § Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Strategy: Connect with work support programs

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Ticket to Work (TTW)

• A free and voluntary program available to people ages 18-64 who

are blind or disable and receive SSDI or SSI benefits.

• Provides services to help the beneficiary find and maintain
• employment. Services may be training, career counseling, vocaAonal

rehabilitaAon, job placement, and ongoing support services necessary to achieve a work goal.

• May not be subject to a medical conAnuing disability review

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Trial Work Period 2017

Allows an SSDI beneficiary to work in nine calendar months (not necessarily consecuAve) during which work will not be used to determine if disability has ceased ConAnues unAl you accumulate 9 months of “services” within a rolling 60 month period. Work is considered to be services if you earn more than $840/ month ($810 on 2016) or work more than 80 self-employed hours in a month.

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Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE)

EPE is a consecuAve period of 36 months aber the last month of the trial work period The first month above SGA in the EPE, the disability ”ceases”. Benefits are paid for that month and the following 2 (grace period) Aber the grace period, benefits are suspended for any month of SGA. If earnings fall below SGA anyAme in the 36-months, we restart benefits If work is below SGA in the 37th month, benefits will conAnue as long as earnings conAnue to be under SGA. Benefits terminate when SGA is performed aber the 36th month

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Determining if Earnings are SGA

An SGA determinaAon is a process that focuses on a person’s earnings and his or her work acAvity. The gross earnings are only the starAng point when making an SGA determinaAon. We also evaluate the following:

• Impairment related work expenses (IRWE)
• Subsidy/special condiAons
• VacaAons/sick payment
• Any earnings not directly related to your work acAvity (royalAes)

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SSI Earned Income Exclusion

65.00 plus 1/2 of the remaining monthly earned income (wages or self-employment) is excluded from countable income to provide an incenAve for SSI recipients to work

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Income Exclusion: SSI Only

§ Certain amounts of earnings are excluded when calculaPng countable income § General exclusion: $20 § Earned income exclusion: $65 § If SSI is sole income, both exclusions apply § AYer exclusions, SSA Counts $1.00 for every $2.00 earned

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CalculaPng Countable Income: SSI

Gross Earnings From Work: $1,553 General Exclusion: ($20) Earned Income Exclusion: ($65) = $1468 $1 Counted for Every $2 Earned: $1468/2 Countable Income: = $734 Maximum SSI check – Countable Income: $735-734 Amount of SSI Check: $1 Total Income: $1,554

$1,554 > $735

*Calcula9ons use the 2017 Federal Benefit Rate for SSI of $735/month

PASS Plan: SSI Only

§ PASS = Plan to Achieve Self-Support § Allows an SSI recipient to save money for an educaPonal or vocaPonal goal in a separate account, which is not counted as a resource or countable income when determining his/her SSI payment § The PASS must be wriQen and approved by SSA, and the goal must be reasonable to aQain in three years. § Example: Joe works part-Pme as a line cook in a restaurant would like to aQend culinary school to get a job as a chef at a local hotel. The tuiPon for culinary school is $3,000. § With an approved PASS plan, savings to pay this tuiPon would not be counted as a resource and would not eliminate his SSI eligibility.

Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS)

Allows beneficiaries to set aside wages or other income besides SSI and/or resources to pursue a work goal Expenses: educaAon, vocaAonal training, assisAve technology used for employment–related purposes, or starAng a business We do not count the income that you set aside under PASS when we figure the SSI payment amount.

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Student Earned Income Exclusion 2017

SSI student (under age 22) must be regularly agending school Exclude up to $1790/month of earned income, up to $7,2000 a calendar year ($1780/$7180 in 2016)

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Trial Work Period (TWP): SSDI Only

§ 9 months of gross earnings (per current SSA rate) § Need not be consecuPve § Are counted within a 5-year period § Triggers a review of one’s conPnued eligibility for SSDI § ConPnue to receive full benefit check during this Pme

Trial Work Period Example: SSDI

It only counts as a TWP month when earnings are above the threshold set each year by SSA 2017 = $840 2016 = $810 2015 = $780

Month Earnings TWP Jan 2015 $900 Yes-1 Feb 2015 $550 No Mar 2015 $790 Yes-2 April 2015 $600 No Aug 2015 $845 Yes-3 Sept 2015 $850 Yes-4 Oct 2015 $860 Yes-5 Nov 2015 $850 Yes-6 Month Earnings TWP Jan 2016 $900 Yes-7 Jun 2016 $500 No Jul 2016 $500 No Aug 2016 $800 No Sep 2016 $500 No Oct 2016 $800 No Dec 2016 $900 Yes-8 Jan 2017 $1000 Yes-9

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When the Trial Work Period Ends

§ SSA will look at earnings in the first month aYer the Trial Work Period to determine if the person is earning SGA § Countable earnings can be reduced with a Subsidy and/or IRWEs § If earning SGA: Benefits cease aYer a 3 month grace period § If not earning SGA: Benefits conPnue

Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE): SSDI Only

§ Applies only to SSDI § Lasts 36 months from the end of the TWP (if applicable) § Applies to any month in which earnings fall below SGA § Allows beneficiaries to receive SSDI in the months of non- SGA earnings during the EPE

Subsidy: SSDI Only

§ Implied Value of extra support received on the job § Examples of supports:

§ Extra hours of supervision § Job coach or mentor § Reduced workload

§ “Provided” by employer § Subsidized worker earns the same pay as other workers doing the same job

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Subsidy Example: SSDI

The subsidy is subtracted from earnings when determining SGA at the end of the TWP

Gross Earnings From Work after the TWP: $1300 Subsidy ($200) Considered Income: = $1100 Earning SGA? NO

SubstanAal Gainful AcAvity (SGA) = $1,130/month (2016), $1,170 (2017)

Subsidy and Special CondiPons

Employer may subsidize an employee with a disability by paying more in wages than reasonable value of actual services performed

• Special condiAons are generally provided by someone other

than an employer; for example, a third-party job coach paid for by a vocaAonal rehabilitaAon agency

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Blind Work Expenses

A blind SSI recipient who is working may deduct ordinary and necessary work-related expenses from countable earned income. Examples include guide dog expenses, taxes, lunch, transportaAon.

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Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE)

The cost of certain disability-related items and services that a person needs in order to work can be: deducted from earnings in determining substanAal gainful acAvity under Title II and, excluded from earned income in determining the SSI monthly payment amount.

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Requirements and Examples of IRWE

Costs for items & services must be paid by individual with disability and not reimbursed by another source such as insurance Items or services must be disability related Cost must be reasonable

Ø Agendant care services Ø Service animals Ø Medical devices-wheelchairs, respirators, etc. Ø Regularly prescribed medical treatment or therapy necessary to control the disabling condiAon

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IRWE: Both SSI and SSDI

§ Impairment Related Work Expense § An out-of-pocket expense that enables the person to go to work § The expense must be related to the disability, such as medicaPon co-pays, special equipment, service animals, and special transportaPon § Social Security does not reimburse beneficiaries for IRWEs, but rather reduces the calculated countable income § Not an IRWE: the company uniform, since all employees must buy the uniform and it is not related specifically to the person’s disability

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IRWE Example: SSI

5 prescripPons, $10 co-pay for each, the IRWE is subtracted from countable income

Gross Earnings From Work: $500 General Exclusion: ($20) Earned Income Exclusion: ($65) IRWE ($50) = $365 $1 Counted for Every $2 Earned: $365/2 Countable Income: = $182.50 Maximum SSI check – Countable Income: $735- $182.50 Amount of SSI Check: $552.50 Total Income: $1,052.50

$1,052.50 > $735

*Calcula9ons use the 2017 Federal Benefit Rate for SSI of $735/month

IRWE Example: SSDI

§ 5 prescripPons, $10 co-pay for each § The IRWE is subtracted from earnings when determining SGA at the end of the TWP

Gross Earnings From Work after TWP: $1170 IRWE ($50) Considered Income: = $1120 Earning SGA? NO

SubstanAal Gainful AcAvity (SGA) = $1,130/month (2016), $1,170 (2017)

SecPon 1619 (a) and (b)

This provision allows SSI disabled recipients to work above the SGA level and conAnue to receive cash payments SecAon 1619(b) allows SSI disabled or blind recipients to conAnue to be eligible for Medicaid when their earned income is the only reason for terminaAon of cash payment

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Expedited Reinstatement (EXR)

Safety net for people who successfully return to work and lose their enAtlement to SSDI or SSI benefits and work stops within 5 years of when benefits ended Allows up to 6 months of temporary cash benefits

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Expedited Reinstatement of Benefits (EXR)

§ For both SSI and SSDI § Five years aYer benefits cease due to earnings § Expedited return to payments and medical benefits § A medical review is done to see if the current condiPon is the same as, or related to, the original condiPon § Applicants can receive six months of provisional SSA benefits while the decision is processed § Applicants should request EXR from the local SSA office

ConPnuaPon of Medicare Coverage

Medicare coverage conAnues for at least 93 months aber the TWP. Part A is premium-free. Medicare for the Working Disabled can be used beyond the 93 months, however, Part A is no longer premium-free.

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Health Insurance

SSI: Medicaid § May conPnue under Federal Rule 1619B even if SSI cash payments stop § Earnings must remain below state threshold SSDI: Medicare § ConPnues for 93 months (7.75 years) aYer the last month of the Trial Work Period § May be purchased aYer 93 months under certain condiPons; premium costs for Part A then apply

More InformaPon

For more informaAon on employment supports visit our website and download The Red Book hgps://www.ssa.gov/redbook/documents/ TheRedBook2016.pdf

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SOAR: Next Steps

Increasing Income Supports through IntegraPng Benefits and Employment

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4/5/17 18 Employment Strategies

• 1. Educate individuals that they ca

can work and receive SSA disability benefits - be a myth buster!

• 2. UPlize Social Security work incenPves and SSA’s Ticket to Work

program

• 3. Celebrate successful examples of individuals who work while

receiving SSA disability benefits Through these strategies we can increase income and housing stability and end homelessness!

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CABHI: SOAR and IPS Pilot

§ S SOAR: S AR: SSI/S I/SSDI Ou DI Outreach each, Access an Access and R Rec ecover ery y § IPS: Individual Placeme ment and Support § 12 State Teams who received the CABHI-States-Enhancement Grant were invited to parPcipate § AZ, CO, CT, IL, MA, MI, MS, NV, OH, TN, UT, WI § Learning Community: Four 90 minute, weekly calls to kick off the pilot (Started May 6) § Pilot: Monthly check-in calls with pilot parPcipants to report on progress (Started June 30)

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CABHI: SOAR and IPS Pilot

Obje jecPves

• 1. Demonstrate how SOAR and IPS can form a cohesive and

coordinated set of services for income support

• 2. Evaluate lessons learned from integraPon of services
• 3. IdenPfy how to apply pilot findings to wider SOAR/

employment services community

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Incorporate SOAR and Employment into Your Services

ü Gather more informaPon: § Tip Sheet: SSI/SSDI and Employment: A Brief Overview of SSA Work IncenFves § New! Myth BusPng Resource: Yes You Can Work! § Reach out to the SOAR TA Center with quesPons and for support ü Explore opPons for SOAR training with your staff § Free online SOAR training, available at: hQp://soarworks.prainc.com § Use Class 1 of the SOAR Online Course as a “SOAR 101” § New! Employment ConversaFon Guide with Sample Responses ü Collaborate with community partners to refer individuals to local SOAR iniPaPves

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Benefits Planning: Resources

SSA Work Site: www.socialsecurity.gov/work § Ticket to Work: Employment Networks: hgps://www.choosework.net/ § Work IncenAves Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program § ProtecAon and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) Disability Program Navigators (DPNs)/Disability Resource Coordinators § Department of Labor, One-Stop Career Centers § hgps://www.doleta.gov/disability/new_dpn_grants.cfm

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For More InformaPon on SOAR

hQp://soarworks.prainc.com

SA SAMHSA SA SOAR TA Center 345 Dela 345 Delawar are A e Avenue enue Delma mar, New York 12054 (518) 439 – – 7415

Amy Lamerson, MSW amylamerson@cohhio.org

SSI Ohio Project Manager SOAR State Lead for Ohio

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