Joe Murphy 0:02 [musical interlude] Welcome to Networks for Training and Development's Employment for All podcast. I am your host, Joe Murphy. This podcast is dedicated to real work and real pay for all citizens. Welcome to the Employment for all Podcast. I am Joe Murphy with Network for Training Development. Today's podcast is being developed in coordination with Philadelphia's Employment Initiative: Connecting Talent to Opportunities. We are being joined by Suzanne Erb, the Chair of the Benefits Workgroup along with Martine Delorenzo from Disability Rights Pennsylvania to discuss benefits planning. Suzanne? Suzanne Erb 1:07 Hi, Martine, thank you so much for joining us today. Could you please tell us what is WIPA? Martine DeLorenzo (Disability Rights Pennsylvania) 1:16 So WIPA is a Social Security program. It stands for Work Incentive Planning and Assistance. It's a program funded by Social Security so that we can give people benefits counseling. We help people to understand if they have Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income, and they may have Medicare or Medicaid, we help them to understand what might happen to their benefit if they decide to go to work. Suzanne Erb 1:52 That's great. How can it help me? I'm getting ready to graduate from high school and I really don't know what else going on what what should I do? Martine DeLorenzo (Disability Rights Pennsylvania) 2:05 That is an excellent question. We have actually a mandate to work with students who are in transition. So we like to help people who are young, who are still in school, thinking about working to get ready for the workforce, because if you want to get a job, you can work. You can work and you can navigate your way through your benefits. You might want to get off the benefit, but you might need to keep it but we can help you either way. So there is a benefit, a work incentive, really, from Social Security, called the Student Earned Income Exclusion. This is a work support that assists students in grades seven to 12, right, or if they are in college or if they are in a training program, who are going to school full time and want to work a part time job. We help them to understand that they can work that part time job while they're still in school and keep their SSI check. Okay? So this is strictly for students who get an SSI check, and they need to keep that check, right. So you can work a part time job. And if your earnings are less than 1900 dollars a month, you can keep all of your SSI check. So this is really, really super helpful for students. It's really helpful for their family. Families are frequently concerned that the child is going to get a job. They are going to lose that check. And they need that check to live, they need that check to pay their bills, they need that check to pay for food, right? But with this work support, students are not going to lose that check. A student working a part time job, earning 1900 dollars a month, that's a lot of money is not usually anywhere near what they can earn, right? They're usually making much less money than that. It caps out at $7670 a year. But it is 1900 dollars a month, we help the person do the math, so that they can understand this. So they don't go over the annual amount. But if they're earning less than that, and they're under 22, and they're in school, this is their great thing for families to know and for children to find their way into the workforce, so that they can get started on their adult life. How's that sound? Suzanne Erb 4:52 Wow, that really sounds good. I I want to get in touch with you guys right away. Can I call you today and get set up or do I have to do something else? Martine DeLorenzo (Disability Rights Pennsylvania) 5:00 Well, usually we have people call the Ticket to Work helpline. That number is 1-866-968-7842. If you need to use the TDD line, then it's 1-866-833-2967. So you call that number. Someone who works for Ticket to Work will answer most of your questions. They will take information from you your name, your address, they will ask your birthdate and your social security number. So be prepared for that. If you have a representative payee, then that person can call for you other than that you should call yourself or you can have a parent with you when you call the line. Right so you're not confused or you don't get upset. big questions they're asking, they're just asking basic information from you the information is confidential, they send that referral to the appropriate WIPA. And then we would get that referral, and then we would contact you. The first thing we do at our WIPA is send out a big packet of information. So in that packet will be a Red Book from Social Security. There will be other documents from Social Security. There will be information about what WIPA is, our contact information will be in there. There will be releases in there. There will be an intake form. It seems like a lot of information but you have time to read through it at your own pace. If you have more questions and the the Social Security Red Book doesn't answer everything for you, you then fill out the intake form, fill out the consent form, send them back to us. And then we will call you and we will answer your question. Suzanne Erb 7:06 Well, that's really great. But my friend, she's in school with me, she's blind. What should she do? Martine DeLorenzo (Disability Rights Pennsylvania) 7:14 Okay, the Red Book I can get in Braille. I am not sure if all of their documents are available in Braille. We are in the process of getting our document printed in Braille. Suzanne Erb 7:27 Oh, I'm really excited about this. But I was so excited. I didn't bother to take them the number could you repeat that Ticket to Work number again please for me? Martine DeLorenzo (Disability Rights Pennsylvania) 7:39 Absolutely. The Ticket to Work helpline is 1-866-968-7842. If you need to use a TDD line, it is 866-833-2967. Suzanne Erb 8:03 Oh, Martine, thank you so much. You know, there's somebody else in my family who's like, not in school anymore and you know, they're they're older, can you help them too? Martine DeLorenzo (Disability Rights Pennsylvania) 8:17 Absolutely. With the coordinators meet with anyone who wants to return to work or to start to work. Anyone who's choosing to work that gets Social Security is able to pain with a services. Suzanne Erb 8:34 Wow. So that means like, like my mom, or my dad or anybody else can get help too, as long as they're getting SSI or SSDI. That's great. Martine DeLorenzo (Disability Rights Pennsylvania) 8:49 It is. And we are trained by Social Security so we have the correct answers for you. Suzanne Erb 8:58 Okay, thank you so much. This is great information. Martine, again, thank you so much for joining us today. It was a really big help. And I'm sure it's going to be a big help for a lot of people. I'll, I'll be sure to mention this to everybody to call Ticket to Work. Martine DeLorenzo (Disability Rights Pennsylvania) 9:16 And we're happy to help our WIPA. It serves southeastern Pennsylvania. There are two other WIPAs in the state. There are WIPAs and every part of the country and in every territory of the United States. So when you call that Ticket to Work number, they will refer you to the correct WIPA. Suzanne Erb 9:39 And can you repeat that number again? I'm afraid I'll forget it. Martine DeLorenzo (Disability Rights Pennsylvania) 9:43 I'm happy to repeat it. The Ticket to Work helpline number is 1-866-968-7842. The TDD number is 1-866-833-2967 Suzanne Erb 10:07 Okay, great. Thanks. Thanks again. Martine DeLorenzo (Disability Rights Pennsylvania) 10:10 Welcome. Suzanne Erb 10:10 Thank you so much. Martine DeLorenzo (Disability Rights Pennsylvania) 10:13 You are very welcome and we are very happy to help people. Mm hmm. It was my pleasure. Joe Murphy 10:22 Thank you for listening to Part One of Benefits Planning. Please check back in the near future for more updates. Transcribed by https://otter.ai