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Benefits Planning Toolkit:

1

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Agency strategies

Embed benefits conversations into your employment process and agency culture.

Benefits planning isn't separate from employment. It's simply part of the conversation.

It's important to incorporate benefits conversations and planning into your organization's culture. Start by getting current staff up to speed on training opportunities and resources, and then incorporate these resources into training for new staff. Use the strategies below to make sure benefits don't hold people back from reaching their employment goals.

Outcomes to work toward:

  • Agency culture

    Benefits planning is embedded in your agency's culture and the services you provide.

  • Staff capacity

    Staff understanding of work and benefits improves. Staff become more comfortable talking about benefits and work with the people they support. Staff know where to go for help when needed.

  • Communication

    Staff provide accurate and effective messaging and communication around work and benefits. They know where to go and where to point people for more help when needed.

  • Support

    Staff know what information, resources and training are available for themselves and the people they support. They know when they need more help and how to get it when needed.

  • Participants

    People served understand more clearly what will happen to their benefits as they transition to what's next.

Key messages

Five things everyone needs to know and communicate about work and benefits:

  1. Work and benefits can go together.
  2. All public benefit programs in Minnesota support work.
  3. People who work earn more money than those who don't — even if their benefits change.
  4. Some people with disabilities choose not to work, or limit how much they work, because they fear losing their benefits. Benefits should never be the reason someone chooses not to work.
  5. Benefits planning helps people see how work is possible, work to their full potential, save money and get ahead financially.

Get started

As a supervisor, you're not expected to be a benefits expert. However, you need to provide staff with clear expectations, training, and resources. Start by reviewing the sample supervisor training plan below and complete these steps to support your staff with work and benefits conversations.

Step 1

Take the work and benefits self-assessment for insight on your own thoughts about benefits and work.

Step 2

Read The importance of benefits planning and How to talk about work and benefits, and understand the five key messages about work and benefits.

Step 3

Complete the Level 1 training: The basics to build your knowledge and review resources and tools available to your staff and the people they support.

Step 4

Read Roles and responsibilities to learn about the responsibilities and training for each work and benefits role.

Step 5

Figure out what role each of the staff you supervise has them make and implement a plan for them to complete the training for their role. See the Staff training section below.

Quick Tip: All staff who work with people with disabilities need to complete Level 1 training: The basics. Staff who directly support people with disabilities in making informed choices about work, like employment specialists, need to complete Level 2 training: Go deeper.

Going forward

Use the sample staff training plan below to create a plan for your staff.

Level 1: All staff

Staff complete on their own

  1. Complete the work and benefits self-assessment.
  2. Read and understand the five key messages and how to talk about work and benefits.
  3. Complete the Level 1 training: The basics. Take a screenshot of the "Congratulations! You have completed Benefits Planning Level 1" screen when done and email it to supervisor.
  4. Ask questions and talk with supervisor about items 1 through 3 and all staff responsibilities during regular staff meetings or individual check-ins.

Ideas for group staff meetings

  1. Staff complete the work and benefits self-assessment before the group meeting.
  2. Supervisor reviews the five key messages and how to talk about work and benefits with group.
  3. supervisor navigates through Level 1 training: The basics, answering quiz questions as a group.
  4. Supervisor reviews and answers questions about all staff responsibilities.

 

Level 2: Staff who support people in making informed choices about work

Complete the steps described for Level 1 training above. Then:

  1. Complete Level 2 training: Go deeper. Start with Orientation to My Vault, followed by Orientation to DB101. Then progress through each benefit module.
  2. Review My Vault: Benefits planning activities and resources and tools.

Staff who need the Level 2 training: Go deeper may take several weeks to complete the training.

 

Level 3: Staff who spend 10 hours or more talking with people about work and benefits

Complete the steps described for level 1 and level 2 training above. Then:

  1. Join the benefits planning learning community.
  2. Talk with supervisor to determine if benefits coach certification is the right fit for your role and the agency.
  3. Review eligibility criteria and certification requirements. If you'd like to proceed, complete the supervisor's recommendation form and benefits coach certification application.

With more in-dept training, benefits coaches are expected to support other agency staff in understanding work and benefits, supporting key messages, and getting help from Disability Hub MN when needed.

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