Employment and Benefits in 2007 -

          Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and SSI

                                         Seminar Description

This is a basic training seminar.  It focuses on the key points of title II benefits

(aka: Social Security, SSDI, SSDAC) and title XVI benefits (SSI).  Many people

do not understand how wages, unearned income, and resources effect medical

benefits and continuing entitlement to Social Security benefits and/or eligibility

for SSI benefits.  Thus, time is spent on understanding how the benefit is effected

by income.  Our focus is in demonstrating how a beneficiary can make an informed

choice of earning significant income and still qualify for medical benefits and cash

benefits, rather than the commonly held perception that people must limit their

income to protect their benefits.

Imagine a SSDI beneficiary going to work in January 2007 with a monthly salary

of $3,000.  Assuming the person never medically improves, anytime between

January 2007 and the end of September 2015, if the person must leave employment

because of the impairment, she/he will be entitled to the cash benefit and Medicare

immediately.  She/he will receive the cash benefit provisionally for six months while

the SSA reviews the medical condition.  If the person has not medically improved,

the cash benefit will be reinstated after the provisional period.

During the seminar all commonly-used work incentives are covered, with multiple

examples.  Mike encourages the audience to ask questions to clarify their under-

standing of the use of each work incentive.  He illustrates how people can protect

their entitlement to benefits by maximizing their income and properly reducing the

amount of income the SSA counts.

Throughout the seminar, the eligibility for the appropriate medical benefits is

emphasized to illustrate the impact of wages on Medicare and/or Medicaid.  In the

appropriate states (27 states), eligibility for the "Medicaid Buy-in" program is dis-

cussed as many of the audience are not familiar with this new form of Medicaid for

working disabled individuals and the state-specific qualifications.

The basic workshop covers:

           THE STRUCTURE OF BENEFIT PROGRAMS

            SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME

                        The process of SSI:  Eligibility to Termination

            SSI WORK INCENTIVES

                        Student Earned Income Exclusion

                        Impairment-Related Work Expenses

                        Plan for Achieving Self-Support

            1619(b) ELIGIBILITY  (MEDICAID)

            EXPEDITED REINSTATEMENT OF BENEFITS

            SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY INSURANCE

                        The process of SSDI: Eligibility to Termination

            SSDI WORK INCENTIVES

                        Subsidy

                        Impairment-Related Work Expenses

            MEDICARE                                     

            EXTENDED MEDICARE ELIGIBILITY

            EXPEDITED REINSTATEMENT OF BENEFITS

            TICKET TO WORK PROGRAM 

            WORKING DISABLED MEDICAID (if appropriate for the state)

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