Transcript New York City Work Incentive Coalition

“What About My Benefits?”
The Importance of Benefits Planning & Assistance
in Customized Employment Services
for Persons with Disabilities
Presented by
“Whatever It Takes”
A Collaborative Effort of HempsteadWorks and Abilities, Inc.
Background

The fear of losing benefits (particularly medical coverage) is the primary
barrier preventing individuals with disabilities from entering or returning to
meaningful employment.

The Social Security Administration (SSA), as authorized by the Ticket to
Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, awarded 116
cooperative agreements to a variety of community organizations called
Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Outreach (BPAO) projects. These
BPAO projects provide all SSA beneficiaries with disabilities (including
transition-to-work aged youth) access to benefits planning and assistance
services. Cooperative agreements were awarded throughout
every State, The District of Columbia, and the U.S.
Territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern
Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
The Role of the Benefits Counselor

Provide work incentives planning and assistance to SSA`s
beneficiaries with disabilities to better enable them to make informed
choices about work

Conduct outreach presentations to those beneficiaries (and their
families), who are potentially eligible to participate in Federal or State
work incentives programs
The Product: Benefits Analysis
The Benefits Counselor can provide the consumer (and
their service provider) with a Benefits Analysis Report.
The purpose of the report is to clearly illustrate for the
consumer what will happen to their benefits if they decide
to go to work. The consumer is presented with the
available options to help them make a more informed
choice about future work activities.
Contact Information
To locate the BPA&O project nearest you:

Phone
Call 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY/TDD) for the hearing
impaired.

Web
www.socialsecurity.gov/work/ServiceProviders/BPAODirectory.html.