participant assessment tool 2019 version participant assessment tool Self-Paced training for ADEN Members

Determining benefits status Does potential ADEN Participant receive SSI or SSDI benefits, or in some cases, both?

The ticket to work program is for ssa disability beneficiaries The ticket to work program is for ssa disability beneficiaries. This person is not eligible, refer to state vocational rehabilitation.

Cash benefit status Great, we understand the person is receiving either SSI or SSDI benefits, but they also have to be receiving some of their cash benefits. Is this person currently receiving cash benefits? Note, if receiving both benefits (concurrent) individual can be in cash pay status for either benefit.

In order to assign a ticket, individual must be in current pay status for at least some federal cash benefits. You may assign later, if potential participant becomes eligible for cash benefits again.

TWL Earnings required In order for ADEN Members to achieve EN payments, potential Participants must be willing to commit to the goal of self-sufficiency. This means the ultimate goal is to eliminate reliance on federal cash disability benefits. Participants that achieve at least Trial Work Level (TWL) earnings, or $880/month for 2019, may allow ADEN Members to qualify for EN Milestone payments. Is potential Participant willing to return to work and earn TWL earnings or greater?

This potential participant is not able to work at levels that would qualify aden for any payments. Refer this individual to state vocational rehabilitation or other employment supports.

Evaluating ticket availability Let’s make sure this potential Participant is Ticket eligible. This is done by the individual and the ADEN Member by calling the Beneficiary Helpline at 1-866-968-7842, open 8:00AM-8:00PM EST M-F. The potential Participant will need to state his/her SSN when calling the Helpline. If helping a Participant with this call, the Ticket Program Manager may ask for the ADEN DUNS number, located on the IWP, and on the Welcome message in the ADEN Portal. Is the Ticket available for assignment? Call revealed the Ticket is “in-use” with VR, what do I do next?

The Ticket is not available to be assigned The Ticket is not available to be assigned. It may be assigned to another EN or "in use" by state VR. If there are questions about a VR case, please contact ADEN administration.

In-use svr If the Ticket is “In-Use” with State Vocational Rehabilitation, it is not available for assignment. Explain to this individual that he or she may assign their Ticket after VR closes the case, to provide ongoing employment supports. Provide them ADEN Post-Employment Services flyer, and request they contact you again at VR case closure. ADEN Members can provide long-term supports, assuming the employment goal is over the SGA level, as this would be the next earnings benchmark required in order to achieve EN payments. Click below to be taken to ADEN Post-Employment Services flyer. Make sure you are logged into ADEN website before launching this link.

Evaluate support needs Can you provide the services the potential Participant needs to successfully return to work based on their vocational goals, education, and work experience?

Potential Participant has training needs beyond the capability of ADEN to provide, or requires supports that ADEN does not offer. In this case, you should refer the potential Participant to State VR, or appropriate employment support services for assistance.

Evaluate self-sufficiency commitment Is the potential Participant interested in pursuing employment that will result in earnings above the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level of $1,220/month (non-blind), or $2,040/month (blind) rate for 2019?

Non-sga level earnings If this potential ADEN Participant is not interested, or able to return to SGA level employment, you may still achieve Phase 1 Milestone payments on this case if available, however, no other payments will be available until SGA level employment is achieved. Additional supports and knowledge of SSA work incentives may help this potential Participant feel more confident moving forward with SGA level employment.

Benefits and work incentive advisement Whether your potential Participant has been advised properly about SSA disability benefits may impact the decisions they are making about their earnings goals. Has potential Participant received advisement about SSA disability benefits and Work Incentives?

Informed choice Excellent! This potential Participant is well informed, and they are likely making a better decision about their career goals because of this advisement. Remember, ADEN provides Benefits and Work Incentive Advisement (BWIA) services, which is needed throughout the entire period the Ticket is assigned to ADEN. You are ready to take the next step with this potential Participant.

Bwia services How do I locate WIPA services? A potential ADEN Participant can choose to assign their ticket, even if Benefits and Work Incentive Advisement (BWIA) services have not yet been provided. However, upon assignment, all ADEN Participants will receive BWIA services, as this is an ADEN core service outlined in the IWP. This support allows Participants to make informed choices about the return to work, which is likely to lead to increased earnings and to the eventual goal of self-sufficiency. If you do not have in-house expertise to provide BWIA services, you may utilize Work Incentive Planning and Assistance (WIPA) services until your site has developed internal expertise per requirement of the ADEN Professional Services Agreement (PSA). How do I locate WIPA services? FACT: All ADEN Members joining us after January 2019 will be required to have certified Work Incentive Practitioners on staff, prior to signing the PSA.

WIPA locator The Find Help tool on the Choose Work website can help you find a WIPA provider that covers your location. You can filter by WIPA providers in the search. The following link will take you to the Find Help locator: https://choosework.ssa.gov/findhelp/   

IWP development Take me to the ADEN IWP Template. You need to be logged in to the ADEN website to use this link. You are ready to develop the ADEN IWP, and are likely to succeed by working with this individual. Now the ADEN Point of Contact can begin coordinating services with internal staff, and/or other programs and services in order to help your Participant achieve the outlined employment goals in the ADEN IWP. Make sure you are using the most current version of the ADEN IWP which will be located under Member Resources on the ADEN website. You are almost done, there is one more important step in this process.

ADEN Portal entry Potential Pending Now that you have decided to work with this Participant, you should develop a record in the ADEN portal. There are two different designations you can give a Participant record: Potential Pending

“Potential” Participant Status If you are still collecting information, and you don’t yet have a completed IWP with signatures, or you are a new Member with the first 5 IWP’s under review, you should create a record with the status of “Potential”. Steps to code as “Potential” status when creating this record: Scroll down in record to Participant Info Cluster Under Participant Status, drop down menu and choose “Potential”. Save the record. If this is a draft IWP you’ve created before requesting Participant signature that you need reviewed, you will need to notify ADEN Admin as Potential records do not generate system notices. To protect PII, email only the Civi ID of the record you need reviewed. Remember, records with Potential status do not notify ADEN Administration to take any action.

“Pending” Participant Status When you have the IWP completed with your Participant, including required signatures, you can change the status of this record to “Pending”. Steps to code as “Pending” status when updating this record: Scroll down in record to Participant Info Cluster. Under Participant Status, choose “Pending”. Save record. After saving record, an email notification is sent to ADEN Administration. ADEN Administration assigns the IWP through the Social Security portal, and you receive an email notification that the Participant Status of your record is now assigned.

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