Title XVI Work Incentives

Title XVI or Supplemental Security Income (SSI): A needs-based program that provides assistance payments and Medicaid to individuals who are disabled, blind, or aged when they meet income and resource guidelines. This includes disabled children under the age of 18 when household income and resource limits are not exceeded.

A plan for returning to work begins with understanding the effect of work on your benefits. A Benefits Planning Query helps start the planning process.

Below are work incentives that may be used for Title XVI SSI recipients who are planning to work:

1619(a) – SSI cash payments are reduced proportionately to earnings rather than losing SSI outright when monthly gross earnings exceed the SGA level ($900/$1,500 if blind, in 2007). Allows for monthly gross earnings up to the break-even point (BEP), which is $1,331 in 2007, before SSI cash payments cease.

1619(b) – Continues Medicaid eligibility at no cost if the recipient needs Medicaid to continue working and has gross earnings below the current state threshold. The threshold amount, identified by the SSA identifies when the recipient earns sufficient income needed to replace the equivalent value of SSI/Medicaid. The Texas state threshold, in 2007, is gross annual earnings over $27,090.

Student-Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) – Monthly gross earnings up to $1,510 up to a total of $6,100 in a calendar year, are not counted for SSI income purposes for a recipient who is a student, under the age of 22, disabled or blind, who is regularly enrolled in school.

Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS) – Vocational and/or training/educational expenses incurred by a recipient can be returned to the recipient through higher SSI payments under an approved Plan that could result in self-support. It can be used to establish or maintain an SSI check and Medicaid eligibility while working by not counting earned income spent on identified PASS expenditures.

Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE) – Documented expenses the recipient with disability incurs related to their impairment that are needed for work. Recipients recover 50% of their costs through maintaining higher SSI payments.

Blind Work Expenses (BWE) – Documented expenses a recipient who meets SSA’s definition of blindness incurs because they are needed to work. The expenses do not need to be related to the blindness. Recipients who are blind recover 100% of those expenses through maintaining higher SSI payments.

For more information Contact:

Stacey Sparks, Community Work Incentive Coordinator
421 Stephens Street
Clyde, Texas 79510
Office: 325-893-1968
Fax: 325-893-3825
Toll Free Pager: 888-635-6688
Email: Staceysparks45@aol.com

Texas Counties covered by Ms. Sparks - Archer, Baylor, Brown, Callahan, Cochran, Coke, Coleman, Comanche, Concho, Crockett, Crosby, Dickens, Eastland, Fisher, Garza, Haskell, Hockley, Irion, Jones, Kent, Kimble, King, Knox, Lubbock, Lynn, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Nolan, Runnels, Schleicher, Shackelford, Stephens, Stonewall, Sutton, Taylor, Terry, Throckmorton, Tom Green, Yoakum, & Young

Rosemary Burks, Community Work Incentive Coordinator
1120 Mulberry St.
Abilene, Texas 79601
Office: 325-676-8988
Fax: 325-676-2980
Toll Free Pager: 888-635-6688
E-mail: rosemabur@aol.com

Texas Counties covered by Ms. Burks - Andrews, Armstrong, Bailey, Borden, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Collingsworth, Cottle, Crane, Dallam, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Donley, Ector, Floyd, Foard, Gaines, Glasscock, Gray, Hale, Hall, Hansford, Hardeman, Hartley, Hemphill, Howard, Hutchinson, Lamb, Lipscomb, Martin, Midland, Mitchell, Moore, Motley, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Reagan, Roberts, Scurry, Sherman, Sterling Swisher, Upton, Ward, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, & Winkler

Frank Perez, Community Work Incentive Coordinator
9208 Igoe, Place
El Paso, Texas 79924
Office: 915-751-8463
Toll Free: 888-635-6688
E-mail: frank2perez@aol.com

Texas Counties covered by Mr. Perez - Brewster, Culberson, El Paso, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Loving, Pecos, Presidio, Reeves, Terrell

You may also visit the Social Security Administration’s website at:
http://www.ssa.gov/work