Benefits To Work

From Disability Check to Paycheck

If you are hesitant about pursuing work goals because of concerns about your benefits, Benefits to Work can help at absolutely no charge to you!

• Are you currently a Social Security beneficiary (SSI or SSDI) and interested in returning to work?
• Do you often wonder what will happen to your Social Security cash benefits if you return to work?
• Do you wonder how working may affect your Medicare or Medicaid?
• Do you question how much you can earn and still receive disablity benefits? 
  

Benefits to Work, a program of Tennessee Disability Coalition and the Center for Independent Living of Middle Tennessee (CIL-MT) can help you find the answers.  Our Work Incentive Planning and Assistance program (WIPA) is offered to all residents of Tennessee.  WIPA programs are community-based organizations that receive grant funding from the Social Security Administration (SSA) to work with SSA beneficiaries with disabilities to explore work options and career development.

Our WIPA program is staffed with counselors called, Community Work Incentive Coordinators (CWIC), who are stationed across the state to best serve our clients in the communities where they live.  CWICs can provide you with an individualized plan to help you make informed choices about employment and answer any questions about SSA rules.

Planning Services:  

• We will review your current situation with you.
• We will ask you to share your goal(s) to pursue, maintain, or advance employment (or self-employment).
• We will contact Social Security to request information about your disability benefits.
• This background will provide a basis to educate you about the work incentives that may be available to support your employment goals.  
• In doing so, we will help you to understand the potential impact of employment on your specific circumstances.
• We may write a Benefits Summary and Analysis report (BS & A) that will provide an overview of your specific circumstances, the potential impact of working, and available options.
• We may write a Work Incentive Plan (WIP) that will provide a step-by-step plan for pursuing your work goals and it will be updated as your circumstances change.

Assisting Services:

• We work in cooperation with Federal, state, and nonprofit organizations that serve beneficiaries with disabilities.
• We will tell you about (and refer you to) employment supports agencies such as Employment Networks (ENs) or Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
• We will provide long-term support of your employment efforts.
• We will be available to answer questions as you move from benefit dependency to independence.
• We will refer you to those who can protect your rights if employment discrimination is suspected, e.g. the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security program (PABSS).
  

Community Outreach and Education Services:

• Benefits to Work collaborates with other organizations that provide services to individuals with disabilities to perform community-based outreach and education.
• Our Community Work Incentive Coordinators (CWIC) are available to educate about Ticket to Work and/or other work incentives.
• At these events you will have the opportunity to meet representatives of organizations who can assist you with going to work for the first time, returning to work, or reaching other employment goals.

If you are interested in learning more about our outreach program or scheduling an event, please contact us at this e-mail address alice_o@tndisability.org 

To be eligible for services from Benefits to Work, you must be:

1. Between the ages of 14 and 64;
2. Working or interested in working;
3. A current beneficiary of Social Security Disability (SSDI) and/or (SSI); and
4. Be a resident of one of these counties in east and middle Tennessee: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, Macon, Mrion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Moore, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, or White.

All other counties are served by CIL-MT. To learn more visit: www.cil-mt.org.

 

For more information contact: