In January 2005, Hawai`i was awarded a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG) by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to increase competitive employment outcomes for people with disabilities. The project, called Hire Abilities Hawaii, represents an innovative collaboration among the Department of Human Services (DHS), University of Hawai`i College of Education Center for Disabilities Studies (CDS), the Department of Education (DOE), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Labor (DOL) and its statewide Workforce Development Council.

Building an Inclusive Workforce

Social Security Administration Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the Ticket to Work Program with the Launch of “Choose Work” Web Site

The Social Security Administration (SSA) and CESSI, the Program Manager for Recruitment and Outreach for the Ticket to Work (Ticket) program, are pleased to announce the launch of the new Choose Work web site (www.choosework.net) for people with disabilities receiving Social Security disability benefits in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the enactment of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (Ticket Act).

In 1999, Congress passed the landmark Ticket Act to expand choice and provide improved services and supports to beneficiaries with disabilities who decided to Choose Work.  SSA has worked continuously to improve the Ticket program over the past decade and the program has come a long way since the first Ticket was issued in 2002.

Based on input SSA received from beneficiaries, Employment Networks and the disability community, regulatory improvements were made to the Ticket program in July 2008 and those changes have resulted in significant program growth and the emergence of some very encouraging trends:

o        Increased Ticket Assignments: Over 270,000 beneficiaries are using their Ticket to get help finding a job. That is up 72% from the beginning of 2007.

o        More Beneficiaries Are Working: In 2008, 96,993 beneficiaries had their Ticket in use and were working. That is up from 59,443 in 2007, a 63% increase. Many of these beneficiaries are achieving significant levels of self sufficiency and some have successfully transitioned off SSA benefits.

And these are just a few of the positive trends that have emerged since the new regulations were implemented. Stay tuned in the new year for a full report on the impact of the regulatory changes.

SSA is launching this web site to renew Congress’ challenge to willing SSI and SSDI beneficiaries to “Choose Work” by participating in the Ticket to Work program and using the other SSA Work Incentives. For the first time, those unfamiliar with the program can view short, informative videos; hear powerful stories told by people just like themselves whose circumstances have led them to explore the Ticket and other Work Incentives; experience a Work Incentive Seminar Event; find local resources and other helpful information in one interactive location online.

Stop by www.ChooseWork.net and hear directly from some of the people with disabilities the Ticket program has helped to Choose Earnings, Choose Fulfillment and Choose Work.

Ticket to Work

Ticket to Work is a voluntary employment program for people with disabilities administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The Ticket program offers people receiving Social Security disability benefits age 18 through 64 expanded opportunities to obtain the services and supports that they need to work and to achieve their employment goals. SSA does this by paying approved providers of services, referred to as “Employment Networks” or “ENs”, for assisting beneficiaries to reach designated Milestones and Outcomes associated with achieving self-supporting employment. An EN can be any agency or organization that provides or is equipped to provide employment- related services and supports to individuals who have disabilities. For more information regarding the Ticket to Work program, please visit CESSI’s Frequently Asked Questions web page: http://www.cessi.net/ttw/faqs/index.asp

CMS Announces Medicare Premiums and Deductibles for 2010
Late last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that most Medicare beneficiaries will not see an increase in the Part B monthly premium in 2010 as a result of the “hold harmless” provision in the current law.  This provision protects beneficiaries whose premiums are deducted from their Social Security checks from paying an additional premium amount that is greater than the amount of the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).  Since there will not be a COLA for Social Security benefits in 2010, about 73 percent of beneficiaries will not be required to pay any premium increase.  
The remaining 27 percent of beneficiaries, however, will see an increase in their Part B premium in 2010 from $96.40 to $110.50.  The amount of this increase is unusually high in order to make up for lost revenue from those individuals who are protected under the “hold harmless” provision.  The individuals who will be required to pay this higher premium are: new enrollees (3 percent), individuals subject to the income-related additional premium amount (5 percent), and individuals who do not have their Part B premiums withheld from social security benefit payments (19 percent), including those who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid and have their Part B premiums paid on their behalf by Medicaid (17 percent).

Under the Medicare law, the standard Part B premium is set to cover approximately one-fourth of the average cost of Part B services incurred by beneficiaries aged 65 and over.  The remaining Part B costs are financed by Federal general revenues. The monthly premium paid by beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part B covers a portion of the cost of physicians’ services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and other items.

If a beneficiary’s “modified adjusted gross income” is greater than legislated threshold amounts for Medicare ($85,000 in 2010 for a beneficiary filing an individual income tax return or married and filing a separate return, and $170,000 for a beneficiary filing a joint tax return), the beneficiary is required to pay additional income-related Part B premium amounts.  These adjustment amounts, which were phased-in over three years beginning in 2007, were also announced by CMS.

Additionally, CMS announced that the 2010 Part B deductible will be $155 and the Part A inpatient hospital deductible will be $1,100, which represents an increase of $32 from $1,068 in 2009.  The Part A premium in 2010 will be $461 per month (an $18 increase from 2009) for seniors who are not entitled to Medicare because they do not have 40 quarters of Medicare-covered employment but who elect to buy Part A coverage.

For further information, please visit

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pressoffice/factsheets/colafacts2010.htm or download the fact sheet here

Free State-wide Tax Preparation Sites

Thanks to certified volunteers working at tax assistance sites across the State, you can have your federal and state tax returns prepared for free. For the 2009 season, please click here to download a list of locations where free tax preparation is available.

Benefit Planning Certificate Training

February 17-20, 2009

The Benefit Planning Certificate Training is an innovative collaboration between the MIG project, AMHD, DVR and Cornell University. We are looking to train a group of peer specialists through this 3-days training at Oahu and a series of weekly webinars (hosted by Cornell University and University of Hawaii). Upon completion of the training, we will place up to 10 qualified peer specialists at various locations for one on one benefit planning/work incentive consultation with other clients.

The training will begin on February 18, 2009 through February 20, 2009. The weekly webinars will take place every Thursday from February 26, 2009 through April 30, 2009. The application for this Benefit Planning Certificate Training can be downloaded here. For more information, please view the flyer.

In addition, we are also having a 1-day Benefit Planning Training for agency staff on February 17, 2009. Please download the application here and send it in to us by February 6, 2009. For more information, please view the flyer.
 
Should you have any question, please feel free to contact us the MIG office at mihalke@hawaii.edu or chinlee@hawaii.edu or 808-956-9142. Please also help to get the words out.

Employment Network Orientation and Recruitment Sessions

February 23-27, 2009

The New Ticket to Work Program regulations went into effect on July 21, 2008. Now is the time to discover how the Social Security Administration (SSA) has listened to, learned from, and responded to your ideas about improving the Ticket to Work Program. SSA has made a number of exciting changes that make the Ticket to Work Program easier to use and more profitable. SSA, Hire Abilities Hawai‘i (Medicaid Infrastructure Grant), Hawai‘i Vocational Rehabilitation Division and CESSI invite your organization to attend one of the sessions in Hawai‘i to:

• Learn about how it’s become easier for Ticket Holders to reach milestones and Employment Networks to receive payments.
• Find out about the exciting changes to the New Ticket to Work Program.
• Explore new opportunities for partnership between Employment Networks, State VR agencies, Hire Abilities Hawai‘i and the workforce development entities.

The Employment Network Orientation and Recruitment Sessions is a collaboration between the MIG project, Hawaii Vocational Rehabilitation Division and Social Security Administration. We are hoping that more organizations will learn about the new Ticket to Work Program and explore the opportunity of becoming Employment Networks to provide employment support to ticket holders.

Please download the flyer and the registration form for the Employment Network events. Please also help to distribute to other agencies/organizations (for example, other waiver providers, school, state agencies, etc.) you think may be interested for this event. Please also help to distribute it to your branch at other locations. Should you have any question, please feel free to contact us at chinlee@hawaii.edu or 808-956-9142.

Economic Stimulus Payments

Social Security beneficiaries may be eligible for a cash payment of $300 to $600 if they file a tax return for 2007. Read our Economic Stimulus Payment page for instructions and information about where to find free tax help on each island.

To be eligible, you must have at least $3,000 in qualifying income, which can include social security benefits or earned income.

Would a Medicaid Buy-In be Helpful to You?

People with disabilities are often forced to choose between health care and work. This proposed Medicaid Buy-In program would allow workers to keep their Medicaid coverage as their income rises by paying a premium.

Learn more about this proposed work incentive:

• Medicaid Work Incentive Coverage Presentation v3.2
  
• Medicaid Work Incentive Coverage Brief v10.1
  
• Medicaid Work Incentive Coverage Proposal v10.2