Welcome
Welcome to the Benefits Planning Learning Community! Together we are working to remove the fear of loss of benefits as a barrier to employment for people with disabilities.
The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you informed, bring you the most up to date information about changes to benefits, highlight important resources, and help you have conversations, answer questions, and provide benefits planning to the people you support.
Key Messages About Work and Benefits
Five things everyone (and we mean everyone!) needs to know and communicate about work and benefits:
- Work and benefits can go together
- All public benefit programs in Minnesota support work
- People who work can earn more money than those who don't -- even if their benefits change
- Benefits should not be the reason someone chooses not to work
- Benefits planning helps people see how work is possible, work to their full potential, save money, and get ahead financially
Upcoming Events
ABLE Savings Day
August 14th is the first ever ABLE Savings Day! ABLE Today is hosting a series of webinars for you to learn more about this powerful financial tool that can help people with disabilities save and reach their goals. The 3 webinars are:
- August 12th at 1pm (CST): ABLE Account 101
- August 14th at 1pm (CST): How Can Employers Promote ABLE as a DEIA Tool
- August 21st at 1pm (CST): I have an ABLE Account, Now What?
Follow this link to register today!
Benefit Planning Learning Community Quarterly Meeting
Join us August 22nd at 1 p.m. for the next Benefits Planning Learning Community Quarterly Meeting. The Quarterly Meeting is your place to get together with other professionals to connect, learn more about incorporating benefits planning into your agency culture, get updates on upcoming benefits changes, and discuss benefits related topics. The meeting is open to any professional who supports people with disabilities in employment. Use this Zoom link to join the meeting on August 22nd at 1 p.m.
Level 3 Benefit Coach Training
For those of us who spend a lot of our time talking about benefits and want to be able to provide benefit coaching as a service to people there's Level 3 Benefit Coach Training. Make sure to complete Level 1 and Level 2 training in the Benefit Planning Toolkit first and get permission from your supervisor. Sign up to be on the waitlist for the next training with our web-based application to get your Benefit Coach Certification.
The next Level 3 Benefit Coach Training will begin on September 9th, 2024. Visit Disability Hub MN - Benefits Coach Certification to learn more.
With your supervisor's approval you can complete this application and submit it along with the supervisor recommendation form to be added to the waitlist for the next Benefit Coach Certification training.
Benefit Updates
Asset Limit for HUD
The eligibility requirements for HUD programming have been updated to include a $100,000 asset limit. For more information on this change please visit this talking points document from the HUD Federal Housing Administration.
SSA Work History Requirements
Beginning June 22, 2024, during the application process Social Security will only review 5 years of past work instead of 15 years. This change will make it easier for people who are applying so they don’t have to recall details of employment that has long since passed. It also helps Social Security look only at relevant skills when determining current work the person could perform. For more information visit SSA's blog post.
Changes to Total Permanent Disability (TPD) Discharge Program
Certain people who get SSI or SSDI can qualify for discharge of their student loans through the TPD program. Once approved for TPD there is a 3-year monitoring period. During the monitoring period, the TPD program no longer stops because of too much earned income! The person's obligation to pay their loans is reinstated only if:
- the person takes out new student loans during the monitoring period, or
- SSA determines they are no longer meet their definition of disability during the monitoring period.
For more information on this program visit the Federal Student Aid page on the topic.
Resources
ABLE Tools and Information
Curious to learn more about ABLE accounts in light of the upcoming ABLE Savings Day? Want to share information about ABLE accounts with people you work with? Check out these helpful resources:
- Get to Know ABLE Accounts
- DB101's ABLE Article
- ABLE NRC Video: Overview and Eligibility
- Spread the Word featuring an ABLE user's story
Tool Spotlight
Finding the Right Coverage for You
Need help figuring out what kind of health insurance a person could get? With the "Finding the Right Coverage for You" tool on DB101 you can help people discover their options by entering in just a few pieces of information. Once they know their options you can help them follow the links in the results to find program details and how to apply.
