ASSISTING THE DISABLED TOWARD SUCCESSFUL EMPLOYMENT

Q: How does a P.A.S.S. Plan help a disabled individual  have success in employment?

A: The P.A.S.S. is a step-by-step incremental plan that allows the person to set aside income in a bank account that is used to buy necessary things in order to accomplish the person's specified work goal. The person's living expenses are paid by the S.S.I. check and the person usually is able to keep, or obtain,  healthcare ( Medicaid) which could normally be lost  if the person went to work without a P.A.S.S. Other benefits, (such as food stamps and  some state aid, housing, and other assistance ) can be retained in most instances. One of the larger barriers to a disabled individual's work goals has been the possible loss of healthcare with increased earnings. With a P.A.S.S., the individual can, in most cases, keep Medicaid eligibility and retain a full S.S.I. check to use for living expenses. A disabled individual can use the P.A.S.S. income set aside  to attend college, vocational school, or other training that will ensure more economic and financial success upon completion of the education, thus enabling the person to work at a job other than a low-paying entry-level one. P.A.S.S. also can be utilized for work-at-home businesses as well as outside business goals. The P.A.S.S. Plan for self employment allows the individual to suceed in setting up a home office and work according to one's own schedule on one's own terms without a "boss". There are many, many  ways to use a P.A.S.S.and the possibilities are virtually unlimited.

Q:  Why would a disabled person receiving Social Security benefits need a P.A.S.S. Plan? Can't that person just find a job through  state vocational rehabilitation or some other agency?

A: Yes, the individual could find employment through  his or her state vocational rehabilitation office but the workers in these offices usually handle very large caseloads and few have  the information  about Social Security work incentive programs nor the time to calculate how these programs affect the disabled person's other benefits, such as food stamps, state aid, S.S.I., etcetera.Vocational rehabilitation counselors have a myriad of duties and usually cannot spend the  additional time  for P.A.S.S. Plan writing.They are simply, too busy.However, they can approve expenditure for a P.A.S.S. written by someone else, such as our service.

 A P.A.S.S. Plan is different from just going to work without one. Having a P.A.S.S .Plan allows the disabled person to "set aside"  their income in a bank account  to use for employment expenses, and any work-related expenditures,  for a specified period of time. Without a PASS Plan, if a disabled person receiving SSI goes to work, income (per the SSA's income calculation  formula) is counted , bank savings are countable, and the person may lose medical benefits, the SSI, and most likely, food stamps and other benefits. Your state vocational rehabilitation office counselor  can use  our service to help set up a P.A.S.S. plan and incorporate it into the I.P.E. so it is always a good idea to utilize state vocational rehabilitation services.

Q: I have a consumer  in my caseload  who gets S.S.I.  who wants to be self employed. Can a P.A.S.S. Plan work for him?

A:  We specialize in self employment P.A.S.S. Plans. With a self employment P.A.S.S .Plan, a specific business plan is included which outlines the exact items needed and the exact steps to take in  setting up, opening, and running  a specific business of choice. Depending on the type of business, many things pertinent to the business can be obtained using a P.A.S.S . Plan, such as transportation, computers, printers, office equipment, assistive devices/equipment, any training necessary for the self-employment goal, etcetera. All self-employment P.A.S.S. Plans, as with all other types of P.A.S.S. Plans,  are written according to what the consumer specifies and can be revised as needed.

Q: How much does it cost to have a P.A.S.S. Plan written?

A: No money is needed up front to have a P.A.S.S. Plan written by our writers. The cost of a P.A.S.S.  Plan is customarily written into the P.A.S.S .Plan and paid  to us later---when the P.A.S.S.  is approved by Social Security review and there are actually sufficient funds  in the P.A.S.S. for payment.  State vocational rehabilitation counselors  can approve funds authorizing  us, another service, or another vendor to write a P.A.S.S .Plan. A typical P.A.S.S. Plan cost ranges from approximately $200.00 to $400.00, depending on the time expended  which varies according to the complexity of  the individual's  P.A.S.S. Average cost is approximately  $200.00. There is no cost if the PASS is not approved, (but this rarely happens-- the Social Security Administration wants individuals to take advantage of  their  work incentive programs ) and, the P.A.S.S. Plan's   feasibility, workability,  and popularity  will  incorporate  thousands of individuals utilizing  the newly incorporated SSA  "Ticket to Work"program.

Q: Who is  actually eligible for a PASS Plan?

A: P.A.S.S.  ( PLAN  to ACHEIVE SELF SUPPORT) is a Social Security Work Incentive Program. A disabled person wanting to use a PASS Plan needs to be receiving S.S.I. currently, or apply for it concurrently along with the P.A.S.S. A person wanting to use a PASS must have a work goal. S.S I. regulations apply, so there are income limits, resource limits, and other rules that need to be considered. Every individual's situation is different , so the best way to determine if the disabled person is eligible for a P.A.S.S. is to send us an inquiry using our "CONTACT US" page. More detailed information on our P.A.S.S. Plan Product can be found on our "PRODUCTS/SERVICES" page.

Do You have a question? Click on our " CONTACT US" page  and send it in. We will be happy to hear from interested individuals or agencies and if we can't answer your question, we will refer you to someone who can. Feel free to peruse the Social Security Administration's site on work incentive programs, particularly the P.A.S.S. Plan,  @ http://www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-545.html