NEW YORK MAKES WORK PAY INITIATIVE
New York Makes Work Pay
888-224-3271 (V)
877-671-6844 (TDD)
It is estimated that 70 percent of working age people with disabilities in New York State are unemployed. That statistic is completely unacceptable—especially when many more people with disabilities would fully pursue employment if they were not afraid of losing the benefits that allow them to live in their own communities as independently as possible.
To that end, New York state currently has a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant from the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which funds the New York Makes Work Pay (NY-MWP) Initiative. Growing out of the Most Integrated Services Coordinating Council (MISCC), NY-MWP is a statewide initiative aimed at bringing about sustainable systems change to improve job and career outcomes for New Yorkers with disabilities.
Working with New York state’s grant management partners, Cornell University and Syracuse University, as, NY-MWP is driven by seven important goals, many of which are aimed at educating people with disabilities about employment options and government benefits.
Additional information about NY-MWP, as well as resources for job seekers, employers, services providers and policy makers is available on the NY-MWP website, www.nymakesworkpay.org. In addition, the NY-MWP website is also an excellent resource for people with disabilities, particularly as it relates to:
Building financial resources
1. Establishing a Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS)-
2. Establishing an Individual Development Account (IDA)—
www.financeproject.org/Publications/ida.pdf
3. Using the Earned Income Tax Credit to build assets—
www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/nymakesworkpay/docs/Guide_EITC.pdf
Understanding and Utilizing Benefits
1. Keeping your Medicaid while you work— www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/nymakesworkpay/docs/Guide_1619B.pdf
2. Medicaid Buy-In for Working People With Disabilities (MBI-WPD) Frequently Asked Questions—
www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/nymakesworkpay/docs/Guide_FAQ.pdf
3. How to Navigate the Application Process—
www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/nymakesworkpay/docs/Guide_MBI_WPD_NavigateApplication.pdf
4. Ticket to Work and How to Choose the Right Employment Network—
www.ilr.cornell.edu.edi/nymakesworkpay/docs/Guide_EmployerNetwork.pdf
5. What to Expect When SSA Conducts a Continuing Disability Review—
www.ilr.cornell.edu/dei/nymakesworkpay/docs/Guide_CDR.pdf
6. Calculating the Impact of Earnings on SSI Benefits—
www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/nymakesworkpay/docs/Guide_SSI.pdf
7. Strategies for Navigating the Income Reporting Process—
www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/nymakesworkpay/docs/Guide_SSA.pdf
Finding Qualified Benefits, Counseling, and Assistance
The Social Security Administration has contracted with local organizations to provide work incentive and planning services for Social Security SSDI and SSI beneficiaries. These organizations, known as Work Incentive Planning Assistance (WIPA) agencies, have professionals specially trained to assist people with disabilities who are returning to work or who would like to return to work. New York State is also in the process of certifying individuals for that same purpose.
1. Listing of WIPA and Work Incentives Planners in NYS-
www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/nymakesworkpay/rnycfm