Does the government help me work after I get disability?

In theory, the federal and state government are very supportive of people with disabilities returning to work.

While the practice leaves something to be desired, you definitely can get help with expanding your training or education after becoming disabled, as long as the goal is to become more employable and return to work.

Some programs work only with Supplemental Security Income(SSI), some only with Social Security Disability Insurance(SSDI), but there are programs that work with both, and both programs are run by the Social Security Administration(SSA).

The primary resource for all work-related incentives for people using the SSA’s services is The Red Book.

If you are talking to somebody in this field and they do not know what The Red Book is, do not trust their advice – this is the definitive set of rules for the SSA, and the source of all the technical work-related information I share.

A disabled friend of mine had a work payment issue with social security and had someone on the other end of the line at Social Security’s 800 number who didn’t know what the Red Book was, and had no clue how to help them.

This is why I warn you about referencing the Red Book – my friend eventually was recognized as being in the right, but it required him to hire a lawyer and fight Social Security over nearly a year of back pay.

Vocational Rehabilitation

These offices are supposed to provide support to people living with disabilities(whether or not they are on SSI/SSDI) with support for their job hunt. 

Their offices are usually inside or connected to some unemployment offices, I know that the county that I live in has three unemployment offices, one of which also has a Vocational Rehabilitation office.

Do a search for VR and your state’s name, and it’s likely to pop up.  If it doesn’t write out vocational rehabilitation -each state may have a slightly different name( in NJ its Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services(DVRS)), but vocational rehabilitation should be in the name for each state. 

They may help with job brainstorming, resumes, suggestions of where to look, or help you find training appropriate for the field you want to go into. 

My experiences with DVRS

The division of vocational rehabilitation services(the name for VR support in the state of New Jersey) has provided services to both me and Al. 

It’s been a mixed bag.  When I went in with my Ticket To Work in 2004, they were able and willing to support my choice to attend Geographic Information Systems(GIS) training courses.  Most of them were relatively easy to get funding for through DVRS, and there really wasn’t much else that I needed from them. 

I took an introductory GIS course at my local community college, and a series of professional development GIS courses at Rutgers, a nearby university. 

I already had a bachelors degree, so was not eligible for funding or support towards a degree(DVRS does not fund graduate programs, but will help people earn their bachelor’s degree), but I was able to use the program to earn a certification in GIS within about a year of starting. 

They also funded five days of training from ESRI(the most popular GIS software in the field at the time), which was about the same price as my semester at the community college! 

They offered resume support, which I did not take advantage of, and some additional support options. 

After a bit over a year of training, I was able to get multiple internships in my field.  A year after that, I submitted a business plan for my own GIS consulting business(focusing on part-time support for nonprofits), and eventually received a grant towards building my business. 

Geographic Magic(the company I created) started in June 2006, and I maintained it for years, before eventually letting the business lapse due to lack of clients(attending grad school and finding new clients eventually became more than I could handle). 

In 2007, I received a plaque from Workforce New Jersey(the unemployment program, which includes DVRS), for best use of their services.

Al’s DVRS experience

My partner Al and I went to DVRS to request services about five months after he broke his hip. He was able to walk, but used a cane to protect him from the risk of falling(his bones are still more fragile than most people), and was feeling very uncertain about his next steps.

He could not return to his prior job because the commute was too painful for him(about an hour of travel by car, train, and light rail), and that job required nearly constant sitting, which he also couldn’t physically manage.

His caseworker seemed very supportive and made some very insightful suggestions to Al in terms of what he could study. 

However, when he was enrolled in the QuickBooks training course he eventually selected, getting funding was much more of a fight than it was for his classmates who were getting their training directly from Workforce New Jersey(state unemployment program). 

I had been under the impression that DVRS provided more support than regular unemployment, but in Al’s case, he would have been better served just using unemployment.

He is not on SSI or SSDI so it is possible that that was a portion of his funding issue, and if you went to your vocational rehabilitation program with your Ticket to Work, the funding may not be a problem.

Ticket To Work Program

SSA does actually have an entire program to help people with disabilities return to work.  It is called Ticket to Work. 

Through the ticket to work program, you may be eligible for additional training and education support through your state’s Vocational Rehabilitation(VR) program. 

The ticket to work program also can connect you to many other programs, some of which are not government-affiliated, like temp agencies.

Whether you are on SSI or SSDI you can request a Ticket to help yourself learn new skills, find work, or rethink your career goals. It’s a voluntary program that will help you with your next steps, whatever they may be.

I gave my ticket to three different organizations at different times.

After I got my start-up support from DVRS, I gave my ticket to an employment agency.

That was a disappointing experience as they never really connected with me and they didn’t fully understand what I was trying to do, workwise. After several months of frustration and inaction, I sat down and really did some more research, including talking to various contacts I had.

I found a new partner for my Ticket to Work. This was a one-man consulting firm that helped people with disabilities to become self-employed. He often had clients with developmental disabilities and worked with them and their families to help them create sustainable self-employment situations.

He was happy to work with me and be a sounding board as I developed my business, and make sure that I understood all of the associated rules. At his suggestion, I took several courses on self-employment and running my own business.

I encourage you to really look at your local(and non-location-based) Ticket to Work options and see just what might fit your specific needs and goals.

I would recommend that you wait to get your ticket until you have a firm diagnosis and you feel like things are stable and predictable enough for you to focus on your schooling or job hunt.

The last thing you want to do is overwhelm yourself, so do your best to be patient with yourself and focus on your healing first.

If and when you have your condition stabilized and well-managed, with enough spare time and energy to want to work again, that’s when I suggest you pull the trigger on work in whatever form it will take.

Arbitrary earned income limits

Both SSDI and SSI have their own income thresholds that you need to know about.

In both cases, if you earn under a certain amount, your benefits continue, and if you earn over that amount, your benefits will(eventually) end. I go into this in more detail in the individual posts on each program, but I’ll sketch it out here.

SSDI

For people living on SSDI, there are two specific numbers to be aware of: your trial work level(TWL) and your SGA(Substantial Gainful Activity). Both of these numbers change annually, generally increasing by a small amount. They are consistent nationally.

In 2023, for non-blind people, the SGA is $1470/month(for blind people it’s $2460) and the TWL is $1050/month. This means that if you earn over the TWL($1050) you just used up one of your 9 trial work period months.

If your earnings pass SGA after you use up your trial work period, you are no longer eligible for financial benefits. I highly recommend staying below your TWL until/unless you are ready to push for complete financial independence(this will give you your full 9-month trial work period to test your wings).

I didn’t do this, and used up my trial work period before I even knew that it existed! This meant that when I started my own business, I really didn’t have a lot of incentives to experiment, as the moment I earned over SGA, I would lose my benefits.

SSI

If you are on SSI, it’s a bit more personalized.

The national benefit amount this year(2023) for an eligible individual is $914/month, but many states supplement it, and sometimes there are additional adjustments.

Whatever your base amount is, that amount will be used to calculate your break-even point, which is the moment that your earnings are high enough to prevent you from getting any financial benefits.

Once you subtract a few allowances, your SSI payments are reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn.

For example, if you were collecting $841/month(2022 benefit), your break-even point would be $1,767/month. It’s calculated using this simple formula: (benefit x 2)  +65 (earned income allowance) +20 (unearned income allowance)).

I recommend staying just under your break-even point in earnings until/unless you feel confident to either try for financial independence or feel comfortable pushing your Medicare earning threshold, as discussed below.

Health Insurance Continuation

Both Medicare and Medicaid can continue well after you stop receiving financial benefits.

Besides some states having programs specifically for people with disabilities who work(NJ has Workability), both SSI and SSDI have programs that will continue your coverage for relatively affordable rates, for years after you return to work, as long as you remain disabled.

For SSDI, the program is ‘Continuation of Medicare Coverage‘, and it promises that after you stop being eligible for financial benefits, those on the program will get at least 93 months(seven years and 9 months) of Medicare coverage including your Trial Work Period.

Why such an arbitrary number? Who knows. But that is the minimum, so it’s possible to be eligible for even longer – you would need to talk to an expert about that if you reach that point.

There is a small increase in the length of your eligibility for insurance based on the length of time you are on disability benefits.

For SSI, there isn’t a timeline, as the program is needs-based. Once you hit your personal break-even point, you are covered under section 1619.

Your benefits are reduced based upon your earnings, but as long as you have Medicaid and collected an SSI benefit for one month without earning over SGA, you just need to keep reporting your income.

Your support is guaranteed to continue as long as you remain disabled and have under $2,000 of assets. Once you earn over your break-even point, you need to remain disabled, have under $2,000 of assets, and stay under their earning “threshold amount“.

This is based upon a combination of the specific rules for your state about SSI payments and your state’s records of the money Medicaid has paid for the average expense of one person’s care under Medicaid in that state.

If your expenses are much higher than average, you may be able to challenge this and have it recalculated based on your expenses, but that subjects you to additional scrutiny.

There are additional ways to legally have some assets not counted, though there are many differences between those supports on SSI and the help you get through SSDI.

Expedited Reinstatement

Finally, both SSI and SSDI recipients are eligible to receive their disability payments years after they have earned their way out of the program should their employment status change, as long as they are still considered disabled.

You do not need to reapply.

The Expedited Reinstatement process will immediately restart your payments while SSA reviews your case and makes sure you still are considered disabled. This can take a few months.

However, if they agree that you are still disabled, your checks will continue unless you earn your way out of eligibility again or recover enough to no longer be considered disabled.

I had to use this program after I lost a 32-hour-a-week position that I held for just over a year. I had actually passed my Extended Period of Eligibility and hadn’t realized it, so when I lost my position, it was a scramble to get coverage again.

It took them a few months to confirm my eligibility, but my benefits started back up right away.

The only risk here is if for some reason they decide that you are NOT still disabled, they will want the money you collected during your expedited reinstatement returned.

This doesn’t commonly happen.

Conclusion: The government does offer programs to help you work once you are on disability

While the rules often feel unclear or confusing, the programs are designed with the intention of helping us rejoin the workforce.

Vocational rehabilitation programs are designed to help you return to work.

While I have had mixed results working with DVRS, I do recommend communicating with them, as they can provide useful services.

The more uncertain you are, the more likely it is that a vocational rehabilitation service can help you.

You can also participate in the Ticket To Work program, which should help you in your planning and learning process – look into that program carefully and pick the network that is right for you.

Remember that you do have the right to get your ticket back and give it to a different network if the first isn’t helpful.

Also, both programs have ways for you to extend your health insurance long after the financial benefits have ceased as long as you know what to ask for.

If you work for several years and then have a relapse that prevents you from working, you are also eligible for expedited reinstatement.

Altogether, the Social Security Administration is doing its best to encourage people with disabilities to return to work if we feel able to.

It is possible to plan ahead and manage your income so that you get the coverage you need when you need it, but also have the power to become independent if that’s what you are looking for.