Studies have demonstrated that while most users of mental health services who are unemployed want to return to work or want to get a job, many are either fearful of losing their benefits and/or lack the concrete skills and work experience necessary to pursue employment. This fear of losing one’s benefits and a lack of work readiness have long been major disincentives for returning to work. "Maximizing Your Potential for Employment" is a “chock-full of information” one-day, two-part  training designed to explore the various SSI and SSDI work incentives that consumers can take advantage of to safeguard their benefits when pursuing employment and offers some concrete tools and techniques that consumers can use to enhance their potential for obtaining employment.

Part I: Benefits & Entitlements

The first part of "Optimizing Your Potential for Employment" examine the various work incentives and waivers you may be entitled to; how your benefits and entitlements are impacted upon obtaining employment and the safety nets in place to protect your benefits when transitioning to work. These are critical concerns that must precede any discussion about pursuing employment in order to allay any fears associated with the perceived loss of benefits.

Part II: Getting and Keeping the Job

Once the concerns about benefits and entitlements have been addressed, the second part of this training will address such things as targeting a work objective; work readiness; writing a resume; strengthening your resume; interview preparation; employment resources and additional considerations such as the question of disclosure, traveling requirements, and support services.

Goals and Objectives:

• To inspire hope (which the presenters hope to achieve by interweaving their own stories of recovery and employment into the training.)
• To allay the fears associated with the perceived loss of benefits
• How obtaining employment will impact benefits and entitlements
• To educate consumers about the various work incentives that can be instrumental in obtaining and maintaining employment
• To teach resume writing, interview preparation and job-searching skills
• To examine concrete tools and techniques consumers can use to improve their chances of getting and keeping the job.

Training Overview 

Part I: Benefits & Entitlements - Social Security Work Incentives including:

• Earned & unearned income exclusion
• 1619 (b) Medicaid
• Medicaid Buy-in
• Impairment Related Work Expense (IRWE)
• Trial Work Period
• Extended Period of Eligibility
• Expedited Reinstatement
• PASS plan
• Ticket-to-Work

Part II: Obtaining and Maintaining Employment including:

• Work Objective
• Work Readiness
• Resume & Cover Letter
• Types of Employment
• Interview Preparation
• Employment Resources
• Disclosure