Be a resident of Several government programs exist or recently ended that related directly to the employment needs of people with disabilities. These are summarized below.
The Ticket to Work Program is a Social Security Administration program to help people with disabilities receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) return to work. It is intended to increase choice in obtaining employment services, vocational rehabilitation services, and other support services needed to get or keep a job.
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SSDI and SSI disability beneficiaries may receive a "Ticket" or voucher/approval for service they can use to obtain services from a state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency or another approved provider in an approved "Employment Network". Employment Networks are private organizations or government agencies that have agreed to work with Social Security in providing employment services to beneficiaries with disabilities. Examples of Employment Networks include: VESID,
The program is voluntary, and the services are provided at no cost to the consumer. The Social Security Agency will not conduct a continuing disability review of medical condition while the consumer is using a Ticket to Work.
Consumers can contact as many Employment Networks for information and assistance as they want without having to give up their “ticket”. Once a provider is selected, the consumer must assign their “ticket”. The Employment Network then works with the consumer to design a plan called the IWP (Individual Work Plan) or the IPE (Individual Plan for Employment). This plan describes goals, services to be provided, and the consumer’s rights under the Program. If dissatisfied, an individual may change networks and take their “ticket” with them.
The Medicaid Buy-In program offers Medicaid coverage to people with disabilities who are working, and earning more than the allowable limits for regular Medicaid. This program allows working people with disabilities to earn more income without the risk of losing health care coverage. A premium may be required. The program officially began in
To qualify for the Medicaid Buy-In program you must:
Be a resident of
Be at least 16 years of age (coverage up to 65 years of age);
Have a disability as defined by the Social Security Administration;
Be engaged in paid work (includes part-time and full-time work);
Have a gross income that may be as high as $50,028 for an individual and $67,020 for a couple; and
Have non-exempt resources that do not exceed $10,000.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Rehabilitation Services Administration funded eighteen State Partnership Initiative Demonstrations in 1998. SSA provided five-year funding to twelve States to develop projects to assist individuals with disabilities in their efforts to reenter the workforce and decrease their dependence on benefits, including SSDI and SSI.
New York WORKS was a Social Security Administration waiver program created by the State under the State Partnership Initiative (SPI) demonstration program. The New York State Department of Labor partnered with the SSA to create a consortium of the New York State OMH, Department of Labor, VESID, the Commission on Quality of Care and other advocacy and trade associations. The program provided enhanced services (such as benefits advisement) and full services (that include both benefits advisement and employment coordination) to SSI recipients with mental illness.
The program waived SSI regulations on income. Ordinarily SSI recipients must give back $1 in SSI for every $2 they earn. Under
870 people participated in the program before it ended in September 2004.
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Title I of the Federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) authorizes the Workforce Investment System. Under the system, State Workforce Investment Boards (State Boards) develop a five-year strategic plan describing statewide workforce development activities. The plan explains how the requirements of the Act will be implemented and outlines how special population groups will be served. The State Board advises the Governor on ways to develop the statewide workforce investment system and a statewide labor market information system.
Governors designate local workforce investment areas and oversee local workforce investment boards. The Local Board is composed of the mandated One-Stop partners, 51 percent employers, and may include representatives of education, labor unions, economic development agencies, and community-based organizations.
The Federal Workforce Investment Act requires the creation of One-Stop centers to provide a single point where job seekers and business can access a wide array of job training, education and employment services. WIA requires the participation of relevant programs administered by the US Department of Labor and the Departments of Agriculture, Education (including Vocational Rehabilitation), Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development and encourages participation by additional partners.
Required One Stop partners include:
Programs authorized under Title I of WIA serving adults, dislocated workers, youth and veterans, as well as Job Corps, Native American programs and migrant and seasonal farmworker programs;
Programs authorized under the Wagner-Peyser Act
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;
Adult education and literacy activities authorized under Title II of WIA;
Programs authorized under parts A and B of Title I of the Rehabilitation Act;
Welfare-to-Work programs authorized under the Social Security Act;
Senior community service employment activities authorized under Title V of the Older Americans Act of 1965;
Postsecondary vocational education authorized under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technological Education Act;
Trade Adjustment Assistance and NAFTA Transitional Adjustment Assistance authorized under the Trade Act of 1974;
Local veterans' employment representatives and disabled veterans outreach programs;
Employment and training activities under the Community Services Block Grant;
Employment and training activities of the Department of Housing and Urban Development; and
Programs authorized under State unemployment compensation laws.
Each state’s VR Agency is a mandated partner in the One-Stop system. As a mandated partner, the VR agency must make available via the One-Stop system, the core services applicable to VR. The exact nature of the VR and One-Stop partnership varies from state-to-state depending on the structure of services, statewide agreements, and content of the local Memorandums of Understanding between the VR agency and the Local Workforce Investment Board.
The partnership between the One-Stop and VR must abide by the requirements of the Rehabilitation Act. For example, VR staff at a One-Stop may do such things as determining eligibility for VR services, explaining VR services during an orientation session, conducting a workshop for VR clients, and providing direct assistance to VR clients. However, VR staff and funds cannot be used to meet the needs of non-VR clients.
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The Social Security Administration and the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) are jointly funding approximately 250 DPN positions in 17 States (see page 77 ). DPNs operate in DOL's One-Stop Career Centers and provide employment services to individuals with disabilities seeking to enter the workforce. DPNs also provide an important link to Workforce Investment Boards and facilitate access to programs and services that support the efforts of individuals with disabilities seeking employment.
Navigators are in the following States:
DPNs who are located in One-Stop Centers assist individuals with disabilities and the One-Stop staff with a variety of employment related services. The DPN
1. Develops linkages and collaborates on an ongoing basis with employers to facilitate job placements for persons with disabilities;
2. Facilitates the transition of youth with disabilities to secure employment and economic self-sufficiency;
3. Serves as a resource on The Social Security Administration’s work incentive and employment support programs; and
4. Serves as a resource to the workforce investment community.
The Social Security Administration expects that DPNs will provide employment services that will complement other programs or services for which individuals with disabilities may be eligible. There are currently 44 DPNs in
The Projects with Industry program is a Federal employment program funded by US Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. It is designed to create and expand job and career opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the competitive labor market by engaging the participation of business and industry in the rehabilitation process. PWI projects promote the involvement of business and private industry through Business Advisory Councils (BAC) that identify jobs and careers available in the community and provide advice on appropriate skills and training.
BACs are required to identify job and career availability within the community, consistent with the current and projected local employment opportunities identified by the local workforce investment board under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. The program provides job development, job placement and, to the extent appropriate, training services to assist individuals with disabilities to obtain or advance in employment in the competitive labor market.
PWI grants are competitive and are awarded to a variety of agencies and organizations, including business and industrial corporations, community rehabilitation programs, labor organizations, trade associations, and foundations. Grants are awarded for a period of up to 5 years and may not exceed 80 percent of the total cost of a project. Awards may be made only to projects proposing to serve geographic areas that are unserved or underserved by the PWI program.
In order to receive continuation funding for the third and subsequent years, grantees must demonstrate progress toward meeting the objectives of their approved grant application and demonstrate compliance with the performance indicators by submitting data for the most recent complete project year. If a grantee does not demonstrate compliance on the basis of the previous year's data, the grantee has an additional opportunity to demonstrate compliance with the standards by submitting data from the first 6 months of the current project year.
The Randolph-Sheppard Program is operated by the United States Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). Under the program, State Rehabilitation Agencies, recruit, train, license and place individuals who are blind as operators of vending facilities located on Federal and other properties. Randolph-Sheppard vending facilities can be established in leased space and under Cooperative Use Space in General Services Administration (GSA) locations.
In FY 2004, a total of 2,584 blind vendors operated 3,100 vending facilities located on Federal and other property. The program generated $488.5 million, and the average vendor earnings amounted to $39,880. [12]
The Business Enterprise Program (BEP) is
The Federal Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program provides employment opportunities for more than 45,000 Americans who are blind or have other severe disabilities by orchestrating Government purchases of products and services provided by nonprofit agencies employing such individuals throughout the country.
In 1938, the Wagner-O'Day Act was passed to provide employment opportunities for people who are blind by allowing them to manufacture mops and brooms to sell to the Federal Government. In 1971, Congress amended this Act (41 U.S.C. 46-48c) to include people with severe disabilities and allow the Program to also provide services to the Federal Government.
The Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (Committee) is the Federal agency responsible for the JWOD program. The JWOD Act directs the Committee to designate a central nonprofit agency or agencies to facilitate the distribution of Government orders of Procurement List products and services among nonprofit agencies employing people who are blind or have other severe disabilities.
The Committee has designated National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and National Institute for the Severely Handicapped (NISH) as the national nonprofit organizations that perform this and other functions that assist nonprofit agencies to participate in the JWOD Program. Through these two central nonprofit agencies, the Committee currently works with over 600 nonprofit agencies across the country, as well as in Puerto Rico and
In
Industries for the Blind of New York State Inc. (IBNYS) is an
New York State Industries for the Disabled (NYSID) is a not-for-profit member agency organization that operates under the New York State Preferred Source Program. In essence, NYSID acts as a “virtual storefront” for a statewide network of 147 community rehabilitation agencies that employ skilled people with disabilities in both facility-based settings and community-based jobs.
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