Benefits Specialist Counselor -- Wisconsin

Overview

This Wisconsin-based collaboration involves two ILCs -- IndependenceFirst in Milwaukee and the Center for Independent Living for Western Wisconsin in Menomonie -- as well as the state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). The project establishes a Benefits Specialist Counselor (BSC) to work with individuals with severe disabilities and to coordinate and collaborate with other professionals providing services so that the individual can make informed choices about employment and make use of resources available through various programs.

The full-time BSC operates under a fee-for-service arrangement with the state VR agency, advising consumers on the impact of working on SSI/SSDI benefits and on using SSA's work incentive provisions such as Impairment-Related Work Expenses and Plans for Achieving Self Support. The benefits specialist also conducts presentations and training on work incentives for staff at DVR, mental health programs, and other community-based agencies. DVR offices provide most of the consumer referrals to the ILC benefits specialist, with additional referrals from community-based agencies and self-referrals.

The current collaboration is a replication of a pilot project initiated by VR at two other sites in 1995. Six sites, including four ILC's, are now providing benefits specialist services under third party contracts and fee-for-service arrangements with DVR. High rates of consumer satisfaction are reported.

The annual project cost is approximately $50,900. This year, the project expects to receive about 80% of its funding from DVR through fee-for-service and the remaining 20% from the ILC's financial support.

Program Approach

This collaborative effort provides a new service for consumers which helps them make informed choices about obtaining competitive employment. An exemplary feature of this program is the use of consumer satisfaction and assessment tools to measure the success of the collaboration with independent living centers;

Problem or Need Addressed

The collaboration addresses the complexity of the vast network of financial, legislative, social service and health systems that create disincentives for SSDI beneficiaries and SSI recipients to obtain competitive employment. One hundred percent of consumers served by the collaboration are identified as having a severe level of disability as defined by the Rehabilitation Services Administration. All consumers lack information pertaining to SSA work incentives or how work and earnings affect all benefits.

Program Processes

The collaboration operates under a fee-for-service agreement with the local VR office, although no contract has been mandated. However, the need for a contract within the next year is anticipated due to the amount of funding involved in the fee-for-service project.

Outreach methods include presentations by the ILC-based Benefits Specialist at various local and state public organizations and ILCs' quarterly newsletters. In addition, the Benefits Specialist has attended "transition night" activities to educate students and parents at local high schools.

The program was initiated based on findings of a pre-project survey of consumers' needs for services that provide work incentives benefits counseling.. Consumers continue to facilitate the program's success; they fully direct the development of their Plans to Achieve Self- Support (PASS) and use of Impairment Related Work Expense (IRWE) deductions. Persons with disabilities comprise 80% of the Board of Directors, which monitors the project bi-monthly, making recommendations on staffing, future goals, and finances.

To assess client satisfaction, consumers were sent a survey developed by DVR and the ILCs at the end of the second year of the project. Results indicate that 92% of respondents were satisfied with the services they received from the Benefits Specialist. Consumers also contribute direct input when evaluating the outcome of their plan with ILC advisors.

Collaboration history and funding

The collaborative project began in 1995 as a result of an innovative DVR-funded pilot project in Madison. In the spring of that year the DVR Administrator began talking with to the SILC and independent living centers about creating Benefits Specialist projects at each of the eight centers in Wisconsin. DVR saw this service as essential due to the complex and contradictory SSI/SSDI regulations persons with disabilities encounter when seeking employment.

The SILC and approved funding for two ILC-based pilot projects later that year. After two years of SILC funding, DVR funded the pilots on a third-party contract. Because of the success of these two projects, DVR provided funding from its SSA reimbursement funds to develop BSC capacity in two more ILCs. Currently, four ILCs and two other service agencies are now operating BSC projects under fee-for-service or third party contracts with DVR, providing service coverage for the entire state.

At IndependenceFirst, total funding for the project for 1999 was $50, 870, of which 84% is used for direct service costs and purchases of goods and services for consumers. During the past four years, the SILC and DVR contracts provided financial support for the project. This year, the project anticipates receiving 80% of its funding from DVR and 20% from the ILCs. Annual in-kind support of approximately $10, 000 is provided through advice and training from Social Security PASS Cadre, IL-NET, and RRCEP-V.

Staffing

At the Milwaukee and Menomonie ILCs, collaboration involves one full-time Benefits Specialist at each Center and part-time commitments from supervisory staff, in addition to approximately 62 DVR counselors whose caseloads include participants in the BSC program. DVR considers its staff time to be an in-kind resource for the project. The agency has contracted for training needed to develop and maintain the Benefits Specialists' expertise.

Outcomes

As direct placement in employment opportunities is not the direct goal of the collaborative effort, measurements of success are based upon qualitative measures of benefits and work incentive counseling. At IndependenceFirst, the project provides reports to DVR on individual outcomes of DVR referrals to the BSC. Outcomes are also published in monthly reports prepared by the ILC..

Quality of Collaboration

As a result of positive consumer feedback, both collaborating agencies have demonstrated their commitment to continue their collaborative efforts. The ILCs and DVR report complete mutual trust of each other's commitment to the collaboration and believe that both parties fulfill their responsibilities to make referrals to the program. The ILCs base their trust in DVR commitment, in particular, upon DVR's proven flexibility and financial support to the project. The ILCs also believes that they have gained the trust of DVR in providing quality benefits counseling service as evidenced by the increasing number of referrals to the program.

Trust between the agencies has been established through meetings held every other month. These meetings served as forums to address problems or barriers in service delivery. For example, when the ILCs noted that the rate of referrals were low, staff asked DVR to determine why and plan ways to increase referrals.

Other contact between DVR counselors and the Benefits Specialist is conducted on an as-needed basis through phone calls and written reports.

DVR expects that the level of funding and staffing will increase as the project expands. The collaboration hopes to involve another Benefits Specialist as a result of project demand.

For more information, contact:

Kathleen Meisner
IndependenceFirst
600 West Virginia, Suite 300
Milwaukee, WI 53204-1516

Voice/TTY: (414) 291-7520
Fax: (414) 291-7525
kathleen@independencefirst.org

Web Site: www.independencefirst.org

Richard Kosmo
Program Specialist
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
2917 International Lane, PO Box 7852
Madison, WI 53707-7852

Voice: (608) 243-5650
Fax: (608) 243-5680
kosmori@dwd.state.wi.us

Web Site: www.dwd.state.wi.us/dvr