PASS

Let's look at PASS. This makes it

possible to set aside income and resources that they may have

and to use the income and resources to achieve a specific work

goal. It's actually a very easy concept to understand. The

person designates an employment goal that they want to work

towards and then develops a formal written plan around the steps

that they need to take to reach that goal. In that plan, they

say these are the services and supports I'm going to pay for.

Here is how I'm going to pay for them. This is the income and

resources that I'm going to use. It's a very flexible work

incentive that is tremendous in that it puts a person in control

of their own situation. It then can be used to cover the costs

of a variety of things, such as education, vocational training,

starting a business or purchasing any number of support

services, such as job coaching, like Chris needed.

Here is how it works. Basically, the individual submits

their written plan to SSA. Once it's approved, they begin

setting aside the income and resources that they are going to

use to pay for services under the plan. They begin to pay for

those services. Social Security disregards the money that they

are setting aside under the plan. Because they are considered

to have less in the way of countable income, it results in an

increase in their SSI cash benefit. In other words, SSA is

actually participating in the cost of these services.

Incentives by Susan O'Mara, available online: The seminar was produced by Virginia Commonwealth University's T-TAP project funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor (Number E9-4-2-01217). The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Department of Labor. Nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply the endorsement by the U.S. Department of Labor.