CENTER FOR EBPs

Case managers, employment specialists, and other service providers do not need to be full-time benefits counselors or experts in benefits planning to help people make informed decisions about their financial futures and to prevent crises. Benefits planning begins with knowing some basic information about benefits programs (e.g., eligibility requirements, income limits, work incentives) and developing trusting relationships (therapeutic alliances) with the people you serve. Here are two messages to help get you started. They include practical insights from the experiences of the following:

Steve Shober, BS, LSW, consultant and trainer at the Ohio Supported Employment CCOE, and former vocational rehabilitation specialist, job coach, and team leader who learned basic and advanced benefits-planning skills to help the people he served navigate state and federal benefits programs.

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Nicole Clevenger, BFA, consultant and trainer at the Ohio Supported Employment CCOE, and mother of two children who relied upon benefits programs for a few years.

1.) Keeping Your World Glued Together, Part 1 (3m, 16s)

Consumer’s perspective: Benefits planning is about keeping your world glued together. If a service provider is comfortable talking about benefits, it helps dissipate some of the anxiety around the issues. . . . Provider’s perspective: Benefits planning is not just a numbers job; it’s a relationship job. People must be able to understand you, believe you, and trust you for benefits planning to be effective.

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2.) Keeping Your World Glued Together, Part 2 (3m, 16s)

Consumer’s perspective: Each benefits program has different rules, which can be confusing and overwhelming. If a service provider winces or recoils when someone mentions Social Security or Medicaid, they send a message of discouragement, and possibly defeat. . . . Provider’s perspective: When people trust you, they are more likely to give you their whole story. When you get accurate information, then the numbers you give them are meaningful.

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We present a collection of lessons-learned stories, success stories, and take-home tips from Steve Shober, BS, LSW, a former vocational rehabilitation specialist and job coach who learned crucial benefits-planning skills while on-the-job, responding to crises and other episodes of stalled recovery. Steve’s expertise, combined with his calming voice of authority, provides a comforting sense of can-do when it comes to the benefits arena.

1.) GETTING STARTED, PART 1:
Learn the basics of benefits programs, help people make informed decisions about their financial future

2.) GETTING STARTED, PART 2:
Benefits Planning is a relationship job, not just an information job

3.) THE FOOD COURT STORY:
Build trust with consumers to dispel myths about benefits, prepare them for potential surprises

4.) A STORY OF ASSERTIVE OUTREACH:
Build trust by listening to each person’s fears and concerns and by responding with facts that address each directly

5.) A CAUTIONARY TALE :
Overpayments by benefits programs and mandatory paybacks can be avoided with monthly reports of income by consumers

6.) THE TERMINATION STORY:
Work incentives from Social Security may enable consumers to earn more money and remain eligible for benefits programs

7.) TAKE-HOME TIPS: 8 things you can do today

8.) THE CHEESE WALL STORY:
Zero-exclusion is the ultimate optimism; everyone who wants to work receives supported-employment services

Check out these links to eConsults containing basic information and a short get-to-know-ya tutorial about Ohio’s new Medicaid Buy-In program, which is designed to help improve the ability of consumers to return to work.

1.) Coming soon

A POINT OF PRIDE:
John Moneypenny draws upon a strong work ethic to advance his recovery, purpose

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Every Journey Has a Story (Audio CD)

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