It's important for all professionals and agencies who work with people with disabilities to know how to plan for benefits.
To help case managers, educators, service providers, Vocational Rehabilitation staff, lead agency staff and others better understand benefits planning, the Hub has developed three levels of training, tools and resources:
The basics: Level 1 training
Go deeper: Level 2 training
Benefits coach: Level 3 training
Each level builds on the one before, providing increasing details to support various levels of benefits complexity. Depending on your role, you can decide which trainings are appropriate for you — whether you're there to provide positive, accurate messages about work and benefits so people know their options, or you provide deeper benefits planning counseling.
The overall goal for all levels of support is to ensure that people with disabilities and those who help them have accurate, reliable information about benefits and the effect of work on those benefits so they can make informed decisions to move toward their goals.
The basics: Level 1 training
Every professional who works with people with disabilities should be able to provide encouraging, accurate statements about how work and benefits can go together.
To achieve that goal, all professionals who support people with disabilities should start with level 1 training to get a basic understanding of benefits, what they are, how they support work, and where to get more help.
Who is this course for? This course is designed for all professionals who support people with disabilities. This is a great training to embed in new employee orientation or training.
Level 1 learning objectives are to:
Know the most common benefits, who is eligible, how to apply and how benefits support work
Understand the basics about the Hub, the services we provide and how to contact us
Know where to go for additional help when needed
Level 1 training includes:
Benefits and work e-learning module (approximately 30 minutes)
Nine benefits videos (approximately 3 to 5 minutes each)
Related resources and desk aids
Go deeper: Level 2 training
Professionals who support people with disabilities in making informed choices about work need to provide encouraging, accurate statements about how benefits and work can go together, dispel common myths, explain work incentives that apply to the person, and help people understand that benefits don't have to be a barrier to work.
The level 2 training helps ensure professionals have the knowledge, tools and resources to achieve this goal and understand when and where to get more help when faced with questions and issues beyond their scope.
Who is this course for? This course is designed for professionals who support people with disabilities in making informed choices about work, such as:
Special education teachers
Case managers
Vocational rehabilitation counselors
Employment service providers
Level 2 learning objectives are for participants to:
Have accurate information, resources and tools to support work and benefits
Feel comfortable dispelling common myths about benefits and work
Understand eligibility criteria and work incentives for common state and federal public benefits, including how to access benefits and automatic work incentives
Know how to introduce a person to Disability Benefits 101, including how to create an account, request a benefits look-up to identify current cash and health care benefits, and find and save relevant videos, articles and tools
Be able to provide the right amount of information at the right time, including how and where to refer someone for more detailed information about benefits and work
Level 2 training includes:
Ten e-learning modules (approximately 10 to 25 minutes each)
Learning activities
Related resources and desk aids
Benefits coach: Level 3 training
Benefits coach training and certification is designed for professionals who need deeper knowledge about benefits and work. The benefits coach training and certification helps ensure professionals have the knowledge, tools and resources needed to counsel people who have complex questions about benefits and work.
Who is this course for? Benefits coach training and certification is for professionals who spend at least 10 hours a week supporting people with disabilities in making informed choices about benefits and work, including addressing benefit issues, answering questions about the effect of work on benefits, and making financial plans related to work and benefits.
Level 3 learning objectives are to:
Help people identify the benefits of working, set goals, and understand how employment and benefits can help meet those goals
Help people understand the eligibility criteria and work incentives for all benefits, including subsidized housing and additional health care programs, and how they apply to individual situations
Explain how to manage benefits and report earnings to Social Security, county human services agencies and housing authorities
Anticipate common issues that arise once a person begins working, plus shared strategies for preventing and addressing those issues
Effectively use Disability Benefits 101 content, mini-tools, estimators, and public and professional Vault features
Scrutinize, interpret and explain Disability Benefits 101 mini-tool and estimator results
Help people identify and request relevant work incentives
Identify and facilitate access to employment services and supports and other services, such as debt counseling and emergency assistance, if needed
Follow up on identified goals, employment services and benefit changes, reviewing benefit letters and ensuring accurate reporting and benefit adjustments
Support professionals who have lower levels of benefits planning training
Connect with the proper resource for in-depth technical assistance or a full benefit summary and analysis, if needed
Professionals interested in benefits coach certification must apply and be accepted for the training. The training includes:
Self-paced and instructor-led online benefit coach training (16 modules plus competency tests and practice activities)
