Courses

Work incentives pave the way to work and financial independence for recipients of public benefits. All public benefits programs and pensions provide incentives for recipients with disabilities to return to work. During the first set of 7 webinars (Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income and Work), participants will explore the principal benefits provided by the Social Security Administration as well as the work incentives pertaining to each benefit. While SSA provides some of the most significant cash and health care benefits, reality indicates that recipients with disabilities may receive benefits from a myriad of public sources. The second set of 6 webinars (The Effect of Work on Other Federal Programs and Their Relationship the Disability Programs) participants will review the various federal programs providing benefits to individuals with disabilities, including TANF, Workers Compensation, and Veterans Benefits, as well as how each relate to one another and are impacted by earned income. Finally, the third set of 4 webinars (The Ins and Outs of Becoming a Benefits Practitioner) will introduce the practice to participants by providing suggestions as to how this complex variety of work incentives, critically needed benefits and earnings can be described and explained to an individual with a disability to both encourage work and financial independence.

This intensive certification program for Benefits Practitioners requires participation in 17 webinars, completion of a provisional certification on line examination as well as a file review that, upon successful completion, will result in full certification. The webinars are presented twice weekly over a period of eight and a half weeks. The on line examination will be administered two weeks after the conclusion of the webinar series and participants will be allowed a full work week (24/7) to complete the examination. Finally, within 3 months of successfully completing the examination a file review will be completed by Cornell faculty to ensure that the provisionally certified Benefits Practitioner is actually able to effectively use the information obtained through the webinar courses and written materials.

Full certification can be maintained by securing 60 hours of continuing education units (CEU) over the 5 year period immediately following the attainment of full certification. An on line “portal” will be made available for logging CEU activity.

Work incentives pave the way to work and financial independence for recipients of public benefits. All public benefits programs and pensions provide incentives for recipients with disabilities to return to work. During the first set of 7 webinars (Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income and Work), participants will explore the principal benefits provided by the Social Security Administration as well as the work incentives pertaining to each benefit.

While SSA provides some of the most significant cash and health care benefits, people with disabilities may receive benefits from a myriad of public sources. In the second set of 6 webinars (The Effect of Work on Other Federal Programs and Their Relationship the Disability Programs) participants will review the various federal programs providing benefits to individuals with disabilities, including TANF, Workers Compensation, and Veterans Benefits, as well as how each relate to one another and are impacted by earned income.

Finally, the third set of 4 webinars (The Ins and Outs of Becoming a Benefits Practitioner) will introduce the practice to participants by providing suggestions as to how this complex variety of work incentives, critically needed benefits, and earnings can be explained to an individual with a disability to encourage both work and financial independence.

This intensive training program for Benefits Practitioners requires participation in 17 webinars. At the completion of the 17 webinars, participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance. Credentialing can be received if the participant chooses the Work Incentives Planning and Utilization for Benefit Practitioners Certificate Series (with Credentialing as a Benefits and Work Incentives Practitioner) course.

Participants interested in completing a course in SSA Work Incentive Knowledge and Utilization must complete all seven webinar classes in this concentration area. Individuals considering the delivery of benefits and work incentive planning and assistance should consider also completing the Work Incentive Planning course and the Federal Benefit Programs course. Individuals completing all three courses and passing an online examination will be eligible for the Cornell University Certificate in Work Incentives Planning and Utilization for Benefit Practitioners.

Learn to counsel youth with disabilities to use work incentives as a tool for establishing careers, as you earn Cornell’s Youth-C credential!

You’ll learn about:

• Work incentives that can specifically benefit youths
• Calculating and tracking the use of these work incentives, and planning for periods of time when each may not apply
• Using and understanding the BPQY to ensure a youth receives applicable work incentives
• Counseling youths and parents about the benefits of work—and the benefits of work incentives
• Financial tools to assist the youth and family as the youth begins work
• Assisting with developing good money habits immediately when a job begins

Prerequisite: Either an up-to-date WIP-C™ credential from Cornell University or CWIC certification from Virginia Commonwealth University.

The class will be limited to 40 participants.

Learn to counsel Veterans with disabilities about returning to work, as you earn Cornell’s Vet-C credential.

You’ll learn about

• Disability benefits offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
• How VA benefits and SSA benefits impact each other
• What happens to VA benefits when Veterans return to work
• Tools to verify VA benefits
• Counseling Veterans about the benefits of work and how to leverage VA benefits to support work
• Outreach to organizations serving Veterans

Prerequisite: Either an up-to-date WIP-C credential from Cornell University or CWIC certification from Virginia Commonwealth University. The class will be limited to 35 participants.

Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs) are the ultimate multi-purpose work incentive.  IRWEs are the only deduction from countable income that can be used by both Title II and SSI beneficiaries, as well as Title II and SSI applicants who are working.  IRWEs do it all:  help keep earnings below SGA to enable Title II beneficiaries to keep their benefits (and working Title II and SSI applicants to qualify for benefits) and increase SSI payments for people who get SSI.

IRWEs are perhaps the most complex work incentive.  They function differently for Title II beneficiaries than for SSI recipients, the rules for determining which expenses qualify as IRWEs can be complicated, and determining when and how IRWEs may be deducted is often confusing.  However, IRWEs benefit so many people we serve that it’s well worth learning the details.

Jump into the complexities with this webinar, which addresses:

• Criteria that must be met for an expense to count as an IRWE
• How to document IRWEs
• Examples of IRWEs
• Special rules for certain IRWEs
• When IRWEs are deducted and how they are distributed
• IRWEs and the Plan to Achieve Self Support (PASS)
• IRWEs and business expenses

Reaching adulthood entails a number of milestones, some more pleasant than others.  This webinar addresses one of the less pleasant ones.  Children who receive SSI must undergo a process after they turn 18 in order to determine whether they are eligible to continue SSI as adults.  The age 18 redetermination evaluates whether a SSI beneficiary meets SSA’s adult disability criteria, which are often more stringent than the criteria for children.  Nearly half of youths who undergo age 18 redeterminations lose SSI as a result.

Work Incentive Practitioners can help youths and their families navigate age 18 redeterminations to maximize their chances of continuing SSI…and help them plan alternatives if SSI stops.  This webinar details the age 18 redetermination process – how it works, the forms that are completed, what happens if the youth is working, when the determination can be shortened or even skipped, and how to deal with unfavorable determinations through appeals and Section 301 (which temporarily continues benefits for some beneficiaries who participate in special education, VR or similar services).  The session also provides tips for preparing families for age 18 redeterminations and helping them make contingency plans if SSI benefits are terminated.

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is by far the most widely used and well-known work incentive in the nation…and yet relatively few people recognize it as a work incentive.  Designed to encourage paid work by people with low to moderate incomes, the EITC magnifies the impact of earnings by supplementing them with a larger tax refund.  An EITC refund is often much larger than all the taxes the person would otherwise owe.  Work Incentives Practitioners need to understand this powerful tool to help beneficiaries get farther ahead by working.

This session describes the impact of the EITC.  It explains the (very minimal) impact of the EITC on public benefits.  Participants will learn to easily evaluate when beneficiaries may qualify for the EITC through case studies, and how to refer people for free tax preparation so they can claim the credit.  Finally, the webinar covers 6 key points about the EITC – including how it can be used for asset development and to show some people who work “under the table” that they’d be better off financially if they worked legally.