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.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Happy National Disability Employment Awareness Month! We want to celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities to the workplace and hope to continue to see even more people who want to work have the opportunity to do so in a way that works for them! Check out the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment (ODEP) National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) "31 Days of NDEAM" for ideas about how to celebrate and promote employment for people with disabilities.
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
Virginia Commonweath University (VCU) Introduction to Social Security Disability Benefits, Work Incentives, and Employment Support Programs
VCU is hosting a training to provide professionals an introduction to Social Security disability benefits that is set to take place November 4 - 18, 2024. VCU describes this training as "an introductory level course designed to meet the training needs of individuals who want a better understanding of Social Security disability benefits and the basics related to how work affects these benefits." For more details and to register, please head to VCUs myNTC page.
Benefit Planning Learning Community Quarterly Meeting
You are all invited to our next Benefit Planning Learning Community quarterly meeting on Thursday, November 21 at 1 p.m. We use this time to discuss the updates posted in this newsletter and build relationships with other benefits planners. All are welcome! To attend, please follow this Zoom link.
Next Benefit Coach Cohort
We have not yet posted our schedule for our 2025 Benefit Coach courses but for those who would like to plan ahead, we traditionally have 3 groups occurring in March, June and September. You can check the Hub Events Calendar for the exact dates when we post them.
Benefit Updates
2025 Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA)
Social Security has announced the 2025 cost of living adjustment (COLA). Beginning January 1, 2025, people will see a 2.5% increase in their SSI and Social Security benefits. The increase also affects some work incentives. Find details in Social Security's COLA factsheet.
Housing Support Changes for People in Supportive Housing
The way that rent is calculated has changed for people who get the Housing Support (formerly GRH) benefit. If someone lives in Supportive Housing and has a source of unearned income they will now be paying 30% of their income towards their housing. People who are in this situation should have been mailed a notice and should be currently paying their decreased rent amount. If someone you support is unsure if this applies to them, help them get in touch with their county or tribal human services office to check.
There is information about this change on DB101's Housing Support article, but please note that the DB101 Try-Its and Estimators have not yet been updated to reflect these changes. Make sure to verify if this change applies to the people you support before using these tools!
GA Assistance Standard Increase
Starting October 1, 2024, the maximum GA benefit increased to $350. This was announced in 2023 Legislative changes bulletin and is now reflected in the Combined Manual and on DB101s GA page.
SNAP Changes
The SNAP annual cost-of-living changes resulted in increased benefit amounts, higher income limits for qualifying, and increases to the amounts that can be deducted from a person's income to improve their chances of being found eligible. These changes can all be found in the Combined Manual and reflected in the DB101 article about SNAP.
Changes to In Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM)
Social Security has made some big changes to how they calculate a person's Supplement Security Income (SSI) benefit based on assistance received from others, also known as "in-kind support and maintenance" or ISM. If you support someone who is not getting the full SSI amount, make sure to check if any of these rule changes apply to them and help them contact their local Social Security office about getting an increased payment.
These changes include:
- Food changes include -
- That means more people may qualify for a higher SSI benefit.
- If you work with someone who had a reduced SSI benefit because of ISM, check with them to see if their benefit was adjusted by Social Security.
- Public Assistance Households (PAH) -
- Expanded the definition to include SNAP, and
- just one household member needs to get public assistance to qualify.
- If you work with someone who had a reduced SSI benefit because of ISM, check to see if anyone in their household gets any public assistance benefit, including SNAP. If they do, the person's SSI benefit might be adjusted. Help them notify Social Security, if they haven't already.
- For the official language, refer to the POMS reference SI00835.130.
- Rental Subsidy
- If a person is related to their landlord (like an adult child renting from their parent) there is no ISM as long as the person getting SSI is paying more than the Presumed Maximum Value ($334.33 a month).
- If you work with someone who had a reduced SSI benefit because of ISM, and they're paying rent, check with them to see how much they are paying. Their SSI might be increased. Help them report to Social Security, if they haven't already.
New Website Features
New MA-EPD Content on the Hub Website
The Disability Hub MN's Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD) page now includes a new video featuring Minnesotans who are on MA-EPD talking about how their lives have improved by being able to access health care and services while they go to work! Check it out and share it to spread the news about MA-EPD!