A mother’s greatest concern is often the wellbeing of her children. For Cindy, maintaining quality healthcare for her children was her biggest worry in going back to work.
Cindy, a social security disability insurance (SSDI) beneficiary, was really excited to be able to start back as a nurse after several years.
Upon returning to work, Cindy was concerned that her health might prevent full-time work in the future, and was fearful that she might lose not only her benefits, but also those for her children. Although she had access to coverage through her work, providing healthcare for her children would be unaffordable. They currently received TennCare and Medicaid. Cindy expressed worry that the loss of her own benefits, plus health insurance for her children, would create a sticky financial situation for her family.
Benefits to Work’s community work incentives coordinator, Brandi, reviewed the options available for Cindy that would allow her to test her abilities to perform the job in the long-term.
“I felt so much more at ease after reviewing my benefits. I now have an ample amount of time to determine if I can continue working at my current level,” said Cindy.
Brandi advised Cindy that even though her children would no longer be eligible for TennCare due to her increased income, they would likely qualify for CoverKids. This program offers free health coverage for children and pregnant women who do not have insurance and who make too much to qualify for TennCare or Medicaid.
Feeling empowered and secure in her decision to continue working full-time as a nurse, Cindy moved forward, confident that returning to work would help her family come out ahead financially.
Today, Cindy is succeeding at her job and looks forward to self-sufficiency.