Pre-ETS: Singing the Same Tune

You may be working with high school students, teachers, or families who are already receiving Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), or you may be getting questions from students and families who are curious. Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation funds Pre-ETS and works with the agencies and community employment programs that provide services to schools. Your agency may be included among the existing Pre-ETS providers. Currently, not all schools and communities are offering Pre-ETS, but the list is growing. Students receiving these services may learn more about potential career paths or even get some work experience before they leave school!

Altogether Now!

With the implementation of VR’s order of selection last summer, the applications and eligibility process can be confusing to students, teachers, families, (and us too!).  We’ve all had questions about how order of selection affects participation in Pre-ETS services, and when to refer a student to VR. 

As a result, VR created a fact sheet for educators, which the Center on Community Living and Careers shared with teachers along with a decision flow chart to clarify how order of selection affects Pre-ETS. (Side note: Half of our center works with you and all-things-employment; the other works with secondary teachers and all-thing-transition. We’re a versatile group!) Since Pre-ETS is really a blending of both worlds—education and employment—we thought you might want to see that same information. Review the fact sheet and flow chart, below. They certainly helped us understand all of the moving parts!

Fact sheet: Pre-Employment Transition Services & Order of Selection

Flow chart: Pre-ETS flowchart 

Resources for Your Conductor

While we’re on the subject, does your agency provide Pre-ETS services? If yes, share the following information with the person running the show! 

The Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC) works with state VR programs and their partners to effectively implement the requirements of WIOA, including Pre-ETS programming. They house a number of resources you can use to implement required activities, as well as clarification and information on relevant topics like internship programs. 

Here are a few we’re pretty excited about:

• CRP Pre-ETS Guidebook: Strategies for CRPs to Collaborate on Pre-ETS: This handbook provides a comprehensive look at providing Pre-ETS, from factors to consider when hiring staff, to tools and resources for each of the required activities. 

• Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act: This fact sheet provides general information to help determine whether interns and students working for “for-profit” employers are entitled to minimum wages and overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). 

• The Path to Independence: Mobile Apps to Support Transition-Age Youth: Tips from the Pacer Center to support students with disabilities. 

• For these resources, and many more, check out the WINTAC site: http://www.wintac.org/topic-areas/pre-employment-transition-services/resources

And a one, and a two, and a….Sing out, Louise!

A Wealth of Savings Options

Until recently, people with disabilities had very few options for saving money. To protect their supports or health care from Medicaid or Social Security, individuals would choose not to work or would opt to work minimal hours. Sadly, we were keeping people poor. 

Workers with disabilities—just like everyone else—not only have the right to work, they also have the right to self-sufficiency. For many people that involves asset building, or the use of strategies that can increase wealth and savings and that can improve the possibility of owning things of value, such as a home or a business. Asset-building programs focus on long-term development for individuals and families. For more information on assets and asset building, see Prosperity Now’s frequently asked asset questions. 

Improving on the Piggy Bank

Fortunately, there are now several savings programs and work incentives designed just for workers with disabilities to help them develop their wealth, save for emergencies, move up the economic ladder with an education, own a house or a business, and become more stable and independent. 

Here are a few ways a job seeker can save money for future investments or self-sufficiency goals: 

• A Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS) is a work incentive designed to help Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients work. It allows people with disabilities who receive SSI to set aside resources and/or various kinds of income for a specified period to use toward a work goal or to start a business. To qualify for a PASS, an individual must: 
• have a realistic work goal, 
• have a specific savings/spending plan for work-related items or services and specify how those items or services are related to employment, 
• have a clearly identifiable accounting of the funds set aside in the PASS, and 
• follow the PASS plan as agreed upon with SSA. 

         See the PASS fact sheet for more details.

• An Individual Development Account (IDA) is a special savings account matched by federal and state dollars ($4 to $1). IDAs can help low-income individuals and families save money for training or education, purchasing or rehabbing a home, buying a vehicle, or starting a small business. An individual who has a job, earns income, and who is a member of a household with an annual household income of less than 200% of federal income poverty guidelines is eligible for an IDA account. For more details and resources, see the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority’s webpage on IDAs. 

• An ABLE account is a special savings account that allows individuals with disabilities to save up to $15,000 per year while still keeping their Medicaid and other benefits. Eligible individuals who are working may be able to keep more of the money they earn by saving to and spending from an ABLE account. See the ABLE fact sheet for more information and resources. Indiana’s ABLE program is known as INvestABLE ( there are now ABLE programs available in many states). Find details about INvestABLE fees, investment options, and benefits at https://savewithable.com/in/home.html 

• A Special Needs Trust is a trust that allows people with disabilities to save assets. There are different types of Special Needs Trusts. Some are funded through an inheritance, back payment from Social Security, or money from a personal injury settlement. Other trusts can be funded by workers with disabilities themselves, with their own earnings. Special Needs Trusts are often set up by an attorney, but for Hoosiers, the Arc of Indiana also has a Master Trust I and II. Just as with ABLE accounts, Special Needs Trusts can allow people with disabilities to maintain their eligibility for government benefits. For more information about minimum deposits, how funds can be used, and the difference between trusts, see the Arc Master Trust guide or consult an attorney. 

We Knew You Would Ask

There has been some question as to whether a person should choose an ABLE account or a Special Needs Trust. People with disabilities who are eligible may be able to have both! Some advisors recommend that ABLE accounts, many of which have a debit card option, be used for smaller savings amounts and for routine spending, and that Special Needs Trusts be used for longer-term savings. 

If you are working with families or individuals, help them ask questions when they’re comparing and contrasting savings and investment options. 

And While We're on the Subject

April is Financial Capability Month (who knew?). The National Disability Institute, the LEAD Center, and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) are joining forces to present a webinar, "Advancing Financial Literacy for Individuals with Disabilities." Per NDI's website, participants will learn about:

• Consumer protections provided by MSRB rules for ABLE tax-advantaged savings accounts 
• New materials from the FDIC to build financial capability for adults with disabilities 
• Favorable tax benefits for people with disabilities from the IRS 
• Financial literacy requirements in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) from the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) 
• Challenges and opportunities to improve financial capability and inclusion for individuals across the spectrum of disabilities from disability leaders

The details:
Advancing Financial Literacy for Individuals with Disabilities

April 18
1-3 p.m., Eastern Time
For more information and to register: https://www.realeconomicimpact.org/news/?id=1665