Benefits to Work

Course Overview

Many people with disabilities choose not to work or limit the amount they work because of a fear that work will cause a loss or reduction of cash benefits and a loss of health insurance with no safety net if the job ends. The goal of this training series is to increase the number of professionals in disability services who can help people with disability address basic questions about benefits and work and to dispel these fears.  It’s important to understand that this training will not make you an expert on public benefit work rules.  When you work with a person who has a complex set of benefits issues or questions, you’ll still need to get a certified benefits planner involved. Certified benefit planners are sometimes called Community Work Incentive Coordinators or CWIC for short.  They have received extensive training on public benefits and are able to address complicated situations.  Throughout this web course, we’ll point out examples of when you should refer someone to a benefits planner.  Then during the classroom training we’ll review the decision-making process so you can have a clear understanding of when you should make this type of referral.