Archives: Lessons

There are three types of ADA Paratransit eligibility:

Let’s look at the three eligibility categories for ADA Paratransit Service.

To understand ADA Paratransit, we must first understand fixed-route transit.

ADA Paratransit is an extension of a community’s fixed-route bus system. Like the fixed-route system, ADA Paratransit is available for all purposes of travel: business, personal, and leisure.

What would you do with an additional $200, $500, $800 each month?

Pay off debt? Put most into savings? Treat yourself?

On your handout, consider what you would do.

Even a little extra money each month could make a difference.

Hopefully, this workbook has provided you with the information you need to decide to enter the workforce.

Remember:

• There are many people and organizations to help you find and keep a job.
• The government wants you to have the opportunity to work if you can and want to.
• You will NOT automatically lose your disability benefits if you return to work.
• There is assistance available to cover costs related to returning to work.
• Just because you start working, SSA does not automatically decide you are no longer disabled.
• You may be able to keep your health benefits.

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In your handout, consider what questions you still have.

As you move forward in your employment search, here are some helpful steps we suggest you take.

Review the resources in your handout now, starting on page 3.

Additional Online Resources

https://www.ssa.gov/redbook/ For more in-depth information about SSI and SSDI.

Now you know that you want to work and that it doesn’t mean you will automatically lose the disability benefits you need. But what if your future earnings are high enough that you do lose your cash benefits? What if you work for 4 months and realize you are in too much pain and can’t keep up? What if you can’t afford the transportation to and from work?

The government has thought of all these ‘what-ifs’.

There are incentives in place to encourage and to help you work while offering safety nets to fall back on if you realize your disability is too difficult to manage while employed.

SSDI incentives provide help for individuals with disabilities to test their ability to work without immediately losing all cash benefits or Medicare coverage.

SSI incentives offer employment supports as well as maintenance of eligibility for benefits and continuation of Medicaid coverage while working which can increase overall income.

Once you return to work, your SSI and/or SSDI payments are affected by the income you bring home, but that doesn’t mean you will automatically lose your financial assistance.

Let’s dig in deeper. Click on the first topic below.

Who We Are

The Financial Louisville Alliance for Development through Diversity, Empowerment, and Resources (LADDER) began a collaboration in 2015 with the purpose of increasing the financial capability of individuals with and without disabilities.

Our mission: To Create a Community-wide Culture of Financial Inclusiveness and Accessibility that Serves the Diverse Louisville Metro Population.

Special Thanks

To Jeff White of the Kentucky State Division for Developmental Disabilities and Intellectual Disabilities (DDID) for providing much of the content within this workbook.

And, to the following individuals who contributed to the content, layout, and review of this guide:

The creation of this course with made possible by a grant through the National Disability Institute’s Lead Center for economic excellence and KentuckyWorks, funded by the US Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Administration for Community Living..

The LEAD Center is a collaborative of disability, workforce and economic empowerment organizations dedicated to a single mission: advancing sustainable individual and systems level change to improve competitive, integrated employment and economic self-sufficiency for all people across the spectrum of disability.

Before We Begin…

The information in this course gives an introductory overview of how earned income by affect eligibility for and entitlement to social security disability benefits and supplemental security income.

Our objectives are:

• to clarify the facts about the impact of work upon disability benefits and supplemental security income benefits and
• to provide you with the basic knowledge to make an informed decision about how obtaining employment may affect your financial situation.

Course Handout

Access the  Course Handout here. The course handout is referred to throughout the online course and has a clickable resource listing.

Syllabus

Lesson 1: Getting Started

Lesson 2: Earned Income’s Effect on Benefits

Lesson 3: Incentives & Safety Nets

Lesson 4: Next Steps & Resource Listing

Legend

✍️ Throughout the workbook, you’ll see a paper and pencil like to the left. When you see this image, you will have the opportunity to stop, think about what you learn, and put it into practice.

? Anytime you see a compass, we provide a web resource so you may go online to learn more about the topic.

❕ An exclamation mark indicates an important item that may require additional follow-up between you and a CWIC.

? A light bulb will share a fact or tip.

To continue, click on the first topic below.

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Federal Benefit Rate is updated annually with the new rate beginning in January. The maximum SSI benefit for 2023 is $914 per month for individuals.

Click on the first topic below to get started.