OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF Rehabilitation: SSDI and Transition Age Youth

OBJECTIVES: After this training, Staff should be able to: Gain a better understanding of DRS Benefits Planning Services Identify the three Title 2: Social Security Disability benefits Transition Youth receive. Become aware of available work incentives Describe benefit issues for transition age youth. Outline some strategies to improve transition services.

OKDRS Benefits Planning and Asset Building Team Our Mission: To promote Employment and Enhance Self- Sufficiency We are the

PURPOSE: Provide Benefit Planning that increases Social Security Administration (SSA) reimbursement revenue Put clients on a pathway to economic self- sufficiency Support Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists’ (VRS) efforts to increase successful closures Serve as Experts with community partners

Cont. PURPOSE To spread the “Good News” that; Paid employment and SSA disability benefits are not mutually exclusive ( no need to choose between one or the other). It is possible to work (even full time) and keep Medicaid and/or Medicare in almost every case.

Cont. Spread the “Good News” It is possible to work and come out ahead financially even if public benefits are reduced or even eliminated. It is possible to get benefits started again if they are lost due to employment (without having to wait like at initial application).

Benefits to Consumers: Explain the impact of work on Social Security disability benefits Explain the impact of work on other benefits and services, (TANF, food stamps, housing, unemployment, state supplemental payment, worker’s compensation and veteran’s benefits, etc.).

Cont. Benefits to Consumers Address concerns of working and losing benefits Explain the array of work incentives available to SSA beneficiaries. Help consumers understand that with work incentives they are always better off working. Answer questions concerning medical benefits when working.

Cont. Benefits to Consumers Help with Social Security Administration (SSA) overpayment issues. Help consumers understand SSA correspondence. Facilitate PASS plans (PASS plans are a type of protected savings account that some clients can use for a specific purpose. These savings don’t count against their benefits).

The Benefits Planning Team Vocational Rehabilitation #95 Jason Price Programs Manager Peggy Cannon Benefits Planner Ali Bolz Shirley Payne Wendy Bohannan Michelle Rudesill Vacant Laurita Kirksey SSA Reimbursement Jennifer LeFlore Ticket to Work Coordinator

Social security disability insurance and Transition Age Youth

Also called Title 2 benefits. Monthly payment amounts are based on the insured workers past earnings as well as how many other family members are collecting a benefit from the same insured worker.

How to Earn Work Credits For a person who has a disability onset before the age of 24, he or she must earn 6 credits out of the last 13 quarters (39 months) to qualify for disability insurance benefits. In 2016, you earn one credit for each $1,260 of wages or self-employment income, up to a maximum of 4 credits for the year.  So, once you’ve earned $5,040 in 2016, you’ve earned the 4 credits that are allowed in one year.  Please note that the amount needed for a credit is set annually.

Work Credit Example For example, let’s say that you start a full-time job in August 2016, earning $7.50 per hour.  Working consistently at this rate, you will have earned 6 credits by the end of February 2017:    40 hrs/wk x $7.50/hr = $300/wk x 4.33 wks/mo = $1,299.00/mo $1,299.00/mo x 5 months (August – December 2016) = $6,495.00, which exceeds the annual maximum allowed of $5,040 = maximum 4 credits earned $1,299.00/mo x 2 months (January - February 2017) = $2,598.00 = 2 credits earned*

See attached quick reference chart 3 Types of Social Security Disability benefits Transition Age Youth receive Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) Childhood Disability Benefits (CDB) Child’s benefits See attached quick reference chart

Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) Benefits Title 2 disability benefit paid to disabled former workers who are fully insured Beneficiaries do NOT have to be 18 or older Eligibility for SSDI can happen quickly for young people as fewer work credits are required. A 24 months Medicare Qualifying Period and 5-month waiting period apply.

Childhood Disability Benefits Must be at least 18; Disabled per SSA’s definition prior to age 22; and Be the child of an insured worker who is deceased, retired, or disabled, Unmarried (with some exceptions) No waiting period for payments, but 24 month Medicare Qualifying Period does apply. Earnings are treated the same for all Title 2 disability beneficiaries

Title 2: Child’s Benefits Under age 18; or if 18 or older, a full-time elementary or secondary school student under age 19 Dependent upon the insured worker Unmarried (with some exceptions) The Title 2 disability benefits work incentives do NOT apply to Child’s benefits. While the beneficiary may be disabled, Title 2 Child’s benefits are NOT related to disability status!

What are the Title 2 Work Incentives? Trial Work Period (TWP) Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE) Cessation/Grace Period Impairment- Related Work Expenses (IRWE) Special-conditions/ Employer Subsidies Section 301 Medicare Continuation

Trial Work Period (TWP) TWP is a nine-month period accumulated over a rolling 60-month during which Title 2 beneficiaries can test their ability to work without losing Title 2 cash payments and Medicare coverage. In 2016, a beneficiary can earn any amount of money - but any gross earnings over $810 will count as a TWP month. No work incentives can be used during the TWP

Cessation and Grace Period The first month, after the TWP, a beneficiary goes over the SGA level and is able to maintain that level of earnings for a period of time Will receive the Title 2 check that first month and the following two months. SSA looks at unsuccessful work attempt and averaging along with other work incentives to make this determination

Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE) For 36-months immediately following the end of the (TWP), a beneficiary who continues to be medically disabled, can receive a Title 2 check for each month that they have COUNTABLE gross earnings below the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level for that year. In 2016, these amounts are $1,130.00 ($1,820.00 if blind) Work incentives can now be used

Impaired Related Work Expense IRWE is: 1) an expense for an item or service that 2) enables the person to work, and 3) is necessary because of a physical or mental impairment. The cost of an IRWE is deducted from gross earnings, reducing countable income. 23

Subsidy When an employer pays workers with disabilities more in wages than the reasonable value of the actual service performed or assistance is provided by an employment service or enclave type of setting. The dollar amount of the subsidy is subtracted from the GROSS monthly earnings of the person, potentially reducing their SGA.

301 Protection If SSA finds that a beneficiary no longer has a disabling impairment due to medical improvement, the benefit payments usually stop. However, if they are participating in a vocational rehabilitation program (EX: DRS), the benefits may continue until the vocational rehabilitation program ends. SSA must review the situation and decide that the continued participation in the program would increase the likelihood of the recipient’s permanent removal from the disability benefits rolls. Benefits may continue until the completion of the program, participation in the program stops, or until Social Security decides that continued participation in the program will not increase the likelihood of permanent removal from the disability benefit rolls and work rules for those programs.

Medicare Information… Medicare coverage remains unchanged when the beneficiary is still receiving the SSDI check. Extended Period of Medicare Coverage (EPMC): incentive to protect Medicare coverage for up to 93 months after the TWP ends. EPMC only applies to the beneficiary, not dependents. Disabled child dependents who are receiving benefits on a parent record may be converted from child benefits to Disabled Adult Child (DAC) at age 18. DAC beneficiaries are eligible for Medicare benefits.

Benefit issues for transition age youth Misinformation about SSA disability benefits Many parents and student are uninformed about the type of social security disability benefits they receive. Unaware of available work incentives They believe and fear that employment will cause a loss of benefits. Unaware of age-18 possible changes Awareness of how marriage may affect CDB eligibility SSI recipients and their families tend to think that once eligibility for SSI is established, it will continue indefinitely. In fact, Social Security makes eligibility determinations in the SSI program on a month-by-month basis, and eligibility can stop at any time if the student fails to meet all of the criteria.

What benefits planners can do to facilitate transition services for SSDI Discuss the effect of work on child's benefits and when benefits will end. Discuss possible eligibility for SSDI or childhood disability benefits upon 18th birthday. Discuss the effects of marriage. Discuss how the treatment of earnings differs between child's benefits and CDB benefits.

FYI….Pell Grants or Scholarships do NOT affect SSDI payments! Any questions?