Background:
The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 authorized us to award 57 Work Incentives Assistance Program grants to the designated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) system in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, 5 U.S. territories, and the Navajo and Hopi reservations in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The P&A network is the nation’s largest provider of legally based advocacy service for people with disabilities.
Services:
The Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) program, serves Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries with disabilities who want to work by helping to remove barriers to employment. Services offered by the PABSS include but are not limited to:
- Securing services from community agencies, including Employment Networks providing services under the Ticket to Work program;
- Helping people who are entitled to benefits understand Work Incentives and issues with their disability benefits;
- Protecting beneficiaries' rights regarding conditions of employment;
- Helping beneficiaries understand and protect their employment rights, responsibilities and reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other applicable laws;
- Protecting rights to transportation;
- Protecting access to housing assistance; and
- Obtaining vocational rehabilitation and employment related services and supports.
Training of the PABSS on Social Security Work Incentives and Employment Law:
Social Security has contracted with the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) to provide support and information including mandatory Work Incentives and employment law training to PABSS staff. NDRN also provides training and technical assistance on administrative systems, management issues and other operational related topics to improve and enhance PABSS services.