WIPA projects are community-based organizations that receive grants from SSA to provide all Social Security and SSI disability beneficiaries (including transition-to-work aged youth) with free access to work incentives planning and assistance. Each WIPA project has counselors called Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWIC) who:

Provide work incentives planning and assistance to our beneficiaries with disabilities;

Conduct outreach efforts to those beneficiaries (and their families) who are potentially eligible to participate in Federal or state employment support programs; and

Work in cooperation with Federal, state, private agencies and nonprofit organizations that serve beneficiaries with disabilities.

If you are one of the many SSDI or SSI disability beneficiaries who want to work, a WIPA project can help you understand the employment supports that are available to you and enable you to make informed choices about work.

WIPA services are available in every state, the District of Columbia, and the US Territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. If you want to locate the WIPA organization nearest you, please call 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY/TDD) for the hearing impaired. You can also find contact information in our service provider directory on our website at: www.socialsecurity.gov/work.

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Work Incentives Seminar (WISE) Events

During the year, SSA-sponsored WISE events will take place throughout the country to provide you with the knowledge necessary to either assign your Ticket to Work or pursue other work incentives. These seminars will give you the opportunity to meet representatives of organizations who can assist you by providing free information and assistance to help you go to work for the first time, return to work or reach other employment goals. You can learn more about WISE events on our website at: www.socialsecurity.gov/wise.

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State Vocational Rehabilitation Providers

State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies furnish a wide variety of services to help people with disabilities return to work. These services are designed to provide you with the training or other services that are needed to return to work, to enter a new line of work or to enter the workforce for the first time. You can also find a list of State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies in our service provider directory on our website at: https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/oesp/providers.nsf/bystate

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Protection and Advocacy (P & A)

In every state and U.S. Territory, there is an agency that protects the rights of individuals with disabilities. This Protection and Advocacy System also administers the SSA-funded Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) program. Each PABSS agency can:

Investigate any complaint you have against an employment network or other service provider that is helping you return to work;

Give you information and advice about vocational rehabilitation and employment services;

Tell you about SSA’s work incentives that will help you return to work;

Provide consultation and legal representation to protect your rights in the effort to secure or regain employment; and

Help you with problems concerning your individual work plan under the Ticket to Work program.

These services are free to individuals receiving SSDI or SSI benefits based on disability or blindness. If you want to locate the PABSS agency nearest you, please call 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY/TDD) for the deaf and hearing impaired. You can also find contact information in our service provider directory at: www.socialsecurity.gov/work.

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Disability Program Navigators

The Department of Labor (DOL) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) jointly established the Disability Program Navigator (DPN) position. DPNs are located in DOL's One-Stop Career Centers and help disabled individuals navigate the challenges of seeking work. The rules surrounding entitlement programs and a fear of losing cash assistance and health benefits often discourage people with disabilities from working. DOL and SSA established the DPN initiative to better inform beneficiaries and other people with disabilities about the work support programs available at DOL-funded One-Stop Career Centers. This initiative develops new/ongoing partnerships to achieve seamless, comprehensive, and integrated access to workforce services for both customers with disabilities and employers. As of October 2008, there were One-Stop Career Centers in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. For more information about the Disability Program Navigator Initiative, see www.doleta.gov/disability/ for the list of DPN States/contacts.

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EARN Job Seeker Network

The Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network (EARN) is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. It is the nation’s premier provider of cost-free services to help employers recruit and hire qualified workers to meet their workforce needs.

EARN also offers assistance to employment service providers and job seekers with disabilities. This includes providing job seekers and service providers with job leads from employers specifically interested in including job seekers with disabilities in their recruiting efforts. Whether an individual is working with a service provider or is on a self-directed job search, EARN can help with online and offline support.

Learn more about how EARN can benefit both organizations and job seekers with disabilities by contacting EARN at:

Toll Free: Monday through Friday,
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
1-866-EARN-NOW (1-866-327-6669) (Voice/TTY)

Website: www.earnworks.com

EARN is an initiative funded by the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.

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Individual Development Accounts

If you are working and have limited income, you may be eligible for an Individual Development Account (IDA) through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program or an Assets for Independence Act (AFIA) grant. An IDA is a trust-like bank account that helps you save your earnings to go to school, buy a home, or start a business. When you make a deposit to the account, a participating non-profit organization matches your deposit. The average match is one dollar for each dollar that you deposit. The Federal government adds an additional match, limited to $2,000 for an individual or $4,000 for a household over the life of the program (usually five years).

If you have an IDA through TANF or an AFIA grant, we do not count any earnings you deposit into your account, any matching deposits, or any interest earned as SSI income or resources. As a result, your SSI benefits may increase.

We do not determine whether you are eligible to have an IDA. For more information about IDAs and to locate a program in your area, visit: www.cfed or www.acf.


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