Support for finding and keeping a job
Entering the workforce or returning to employment after some time off can be scary, especially if you have a disability and are unsure of your ability to meet the demands of a job; do not let that prevent you from working.
There are many people and organizations in place to help you find and keep a job.
Some of them include:
- Kentucky One-Stop Career Centers
- Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
- Blind Services Division
- Ticket to Work Employment Networks
- Community Work Transition Program
- Veteran’s Employment and Training Service (VETS)
- Coalition for Workforce Diversity
This website can answer any question you have about working and SSI/SSDI as well as provide resources to help you find and keep a job: Disability Benefits 101.
Community Partners are trained to provide you with assistance as you enter the workforce.
Within the community, there are Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) projects funded through grants from the Social Security Administration that have on staff fully certified Community Work Incentive Coordinators (CWIC). These individuals receive specialized training to attain the appropriate level of knowledge and skills to provide clients with assistance as they enter the workforce. They can offer individuals an analysis of their benefits which includes an assessment of the impact of work on government benefits.
The Social Security Administration instructs the WIPAs to prioritize the services which they provide to the individuals they serve based on specific criteria due to capacity issues. You may not receive services from a WIPA, or you may receive very limited services if your case does not meet the criteria.
The Center for Accessible Living manages the WIPA project for the Louisville area and the far western half of the state. Goodwill Industries of Lexington manages the WIPA project for the remainder of western and all of eastern KY. Their brochures are attached below.
Goodwill Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA)
The WIPA Program
at the Center for Accessible
Living Brochure
Other employment assistance guidance is offered by community partners, many of whom are also certified through the CWIC training. They do not have the same service restrictions as the WIPAs, however, access to these community partners is often limited. They generally charge a fee for their services or work exclusively with clients of a particular agency. For instance, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation can pay for services from a community partner work incentive provider for its consumers. Similarly, the Department of Development and Intellectual Services can offer benefits assistance to individuals in the Supports for Community Living (SCL) Waiver program.