BPAO-Related Work Incentives Resources

In the fall of 2006, RCEP7 had to close it's Regional SSA Training and Technical Assistance Center Website when SSA chose to end the contract for all such regionl centers. However, we have copied over the list of links and resources from that website to this one.

• Barrier Breakers
• BenefitsCheckUp - NCOA's Online Screening Service
• 2007 Benefits Planning Query (BPQY) Handbook (an SSA document, may not be accessible to screen reader users)
• Business Link to the U.S. Government
• CMS Groups Deemed to be Receiving SSI for Medicaid Purposes
• CMS Guidance to States on the Low-Income Subsidy
• CMS Medicaid Buy-In Eligibility Groups
• CMS Work Incentives Eligibility Groups that apply to all States
• The Code of Regulations for Public and Indian Housing. Here you will find the references for 24 CFR 960.255 that refers to the Self Sufficiency Incentives.
• Community-Minded Enterprises
• Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities is a coalition of approximately 100 national disability organizations working together to advocate for national public policy that ensures the self determination, independence, empowerment, integration and inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society.
• Cornell University's Work Incentives Support Center
• CRITERION 508 Solutions
• Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWICs) in Northern Missouri (as of 7-2007)
• Employer Assistance Referral Network (EARN)- The Employer Assistance Referral Network (EARN) is a nationwide cost-free referral and technical assistance service for employers.
• Fact Sheets: Case Management, Work Incentives, Youth
• Families USA - the Voice for Health Care Consumers
• Griffin-Hammis Associates, LLC
• Handbook for Injured Service Members & Families - From the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, this manual covers all aspects of benefits for veteran's with disabilities, both DoD and VA. It does not cover transition to work and work issues, and the PDF file is very large, but there is an option to download it by chapters.
• HHS Low Income Energy Assistance
• HHS Poverty Guidelines, Research, and Measurement
• HIPPA approved SSA form 827 (.PDF format)
• Code of Federal Regulation fro the HUD Earned Income Disregard, Here you will find the references for 24 CFR 5.617 that refers to the Earned Income Disregard -Self Sufficiency for Persons with Disabilities – Disallowance of Increase in Annual Income :
  • HUD CFR (pdf) (PDF Format)
  • HUD CFR II (pdf) (PDF Format)
• HUD Regulations for SSA approved PASS
• IPE - How to Write Your Own - New York Vocational Rehabilitation
• Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) Home Page
• Information on Aged, Blind, and Disabled Medicaid Eligibility Survey
• Massachusetts Community Gateway offers many publications such as Medicaid Primer, many training items to use with outreach projects, such as people first language handout, with guidelines for writing and reporting about people with disabilities, and disability etiquette.
• Medicare and Medicaid State Waiver Demonstration Programs
• Medicare Drug Discount Card Guide
• Explaning Enrollment Trends and Participant Characteristics of the Medicaid Buy-In Program 2002-2003 Final Report:
  • Medicaid Buy-In Trends/Participant Expectations (pdf)
• Medicaid Primer - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Understanding Medicaid Home and Community Services
• Missouri Guide to Housing Assistance Programs
• Missouri Traumatic Brain Injury Demonstration Project
• Missouri's Medicaid for Workers with Disabilities
• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc.
• National Housing Law Project
• National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult
• National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives, NOSSCR
• Nebraska Easter Seals
• Oregon's State Specific Benefits Web Site
• POMs Acronyms
• Removing Bias in Language when Referring to Individuals with Disabilties
• SEED - Supported Employment Resources
• SSA Acronyms
• SSA ENEWS
• SSA Forms . . .
• SSA Glossary
• SSA Program Operations Manual System (POMS)
• SSA Request For Waiver Of Overpayment Recovery Or Change In Repayment Rate
• SSA Statement of Claimant or other Person
• SSA Top 10 Services . . .
• SSA Denver Region Contact Contact Information
• SSA Kansas City Region Contact Information
• SSA Seattle Region Contact Information
• State Partnership System Change Initiative
• Study Abroad as part of Employment Preparation E-mail: clearinghouse@miusa.org
• Technical Assistance on Native American Culture
• Telephones - What features do people with disabilities need?
• Transition Coalition
• Virginia Commonwealth University's Benefits Assistance Resource Center, VCU-BARC The Virginia Commonwealth University Benefits Assistance Resource Center: VCU Center provides technical assistance and training to the Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach Programs funded under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentive Improvement Act of 1999.
• Webcastings of Committee Hearings and Mark-ups
• Your Ticket to Work

Here is a link to the Medicaid Waivers for Regions 7, 8, and 10. Yyou can call your Regional Office of CMS and they will be able to give you your local/state contacts. Region 7,8,10 Medicaid Waivers

The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), created on March 9, 1977, to consolidate the administration of the largest Federal health programs, Medicare and Medicaid, was named the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on June 14, 2001. HCFA/CMS

Adobe's online tool that will automatically convert PDF files to text or HTML to make them accessible to screen readers can be reached here: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_onlinetools.html

This link discusses a quick and easy way of determining if someone is
eligible for Medicaid under the Pickle Amendment http://www.povertylaw.org/pln/pln_articles/pickle.cfm

James R Sheldon, Jr. Esq. is the Supervision Attorney with the Disability Law Unit for Neighborhood Legal Services in New York. He has several published books on different aspects of the SSA laws. The link will take you to their home page where you can find lots of great information. Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc.

VCU has excellent breifing papers available on this link. These papers
have been throughly reviewed and approved by SSA. You can share these
with your clients or with your local SSA office VCU-BARC Briefing Papers . . .

Transition Resources

INTERSECTION: NAVIGATING THE ROAD TO WORK
The NCWD/Youth Website announces the first issue of its electronic newsletter, Intersection: Navigating the Road to Work. The newsletter and the NCWD/Youth website offer information to improve services to youth and especially youth with disabilities. Amongst other topics, the inaugural issue discusses what components make a youth program successful. For more information go to http://www.ncwd-youth.info/

ES-TIP
The Employability Skills Training and Implementation Program is a software-based learning system that helps consumers with little to no work experience and/or academic skills build self-esteem, work ethics and workplace success. Originally developed by the Florida Department of Education, ES-TIP addresses the skills and knowledge necessary for an effective job search while promoting positive strategies and attitudes essential for job retention and career advancement. For more information go to the Vocational Research Institute's web page http://www.vri.org

SPECIAL EDUCATION ENCYCLOPEDIA ON TRANSITION AND EMPLOYMENT
This encyclopedia is written for secondary and adult populations and includes 531 lessons in 80 different subject areas. The encyclopedia is published by Phillip Roy, Inc. More information is available on their web site at http://www.philliproy.com/product.asp?ProdID=33&CatName=SPECIAL%20EDUCATION

MONEY SMART
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has launched a free training program called Money Smart, geared to teach adults outside the financial mainstream how to enhance money and banking skills. The program consists of 10 instructor-led modules on basic financial topics and presents an interesting opportunity for organizations interested in training persons with disabilities. Out of the 49 million Americans with disabilities, one in three persons live at or below the poverty level. To learn more about Money Smart, visit http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/index.html

STATE TRANSITION RESOURCES (2004)
Select state transition offices have generously volunteered to share links to their most valuable transition resources with visitors to the NCSET Web site. On the new State Transition Resources page of the NCSET Web site, you will find manuals, toolkits, curricula, Web sites and more for everyone involved in supporting the successful transition of youth with disabilities to adult life. http://www.ncset.org/stateresources/resources.asp

IN SEARCH OF EVERYDAY LIFE: SELF-DETERMINATION
Issues of control, money and supports systems freely called "circles" are addressed in this 35 minute look at the lives of Carolyn, Cindy and Richard. In interviews connecting their three stories, Tom Nerney defines self-determination, discusses it's implications, and offers a clear distinction between choice and freedom. The video was produced by the Institute on Disabilities, Pennsylvania University Center on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Temple University. For more information go to http://www.self-determination.com