Did you know you can work even if you receive disability benefits? It’s true. If you have disability benefits and want to work, program rules called work incentives make work possible.
You can learn about these incentives by contacting a Work Incentives Benefits Specialist. These benefit specialists can show you how to establish and use work incentives like:
- Impairment Related Work Incentives
- Student Earned Income Exclusion
- Continued Medicaid coverage for Individuals who Work 1619(b)
- Deeming – Process for determining which assets and income count for Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- New! Social Security Section 301. This work incentive continues social security payments to individuals participating in a vocational rehabilitation or similar program like PROMISE.
- Plan to Achieve Self-Support (Ask your Benefits Counselor about this!)
Other Benefits Resources:
- Do you understand your work reporting responsibilities? Do our Work Reporting Activity.
- BadgerCare Plus is a Wisconsin Medicaid Program that provides health insurance to low-income adults and families.
These are just a few!
About this service
General information about this service…Access this service
Find out how to access this service…Connect with a Benefit Specialist
Are you already working with a Benefit Specialist? Find their contact information here: Benefit Specialist Contact information…Tools and Resources
Find tools and resources related to benefits.More about Benefits Counseling
If you have multiple benefits, it can be difficult to navigate all of the different systems. Benefits like FoodShare, Housing, Medicaid, and others may change when you are working. A Work Incentive Benefits Specialist can support you with these changes while you work.
When you connect with a Work Incentives Benefits Specialist, you will find answers to the following questions:
- What work incentives are available to you.
- How to report your earned income.
- How to minimize overpayments.
- How to access and maintain your health insurance.
- What happens when you increase your income.
Download the Benefits Counseling Services Overview – Spanish (pdf)
Access Benefits Counseling Services
If you would like to find out more about benefits counseling, have any questions, or want more information, please contact your Promise DVR Counselor.
Your Promise DVR Counselor can connect you with a Work Incentives Benefits Specialists who can assist you at all stages of employment. Services may be just-in-time, ongoing, and for the short-term or long-term. Some of the services you could receive include:
- support with communicating with various agencies such as Social Security or Human Services.
- benefits Summary & Analysis – a written report summarizing your current benefit and employment situation.
- ongoing support when there are changes with your income, insurance, or household.
- developing a plan for coordinating and managing work, work incentives, and working off of benefits.
Connect with a Benefits Specialist
Are you already working with a Benefits Specialist through Wisconsin Promise? Here is a list of Wisconsin Promise Benefit Specialists.
If you have benefits and want to work, a benefits specialist can provide you with the tools to manage your benefits or work off of your benefits. You will find out how you can be more self-sufficient and increase your income. Building a relationship with a benefits specialist early on can contribute to a long lasting resource throughout your career.
