Sam
is a 19 year old student in an urban high school. He has epilepsy and a heart condition. He exhibits learning problems. Sam has received SSI benefits since he was seven years old. As part of Sam’s transition program he has been working part-time at a major food store chain. The school, in accordance with Sam’s IEP, provides transportation.The manager of the food store would like to hire Sam to work during the summer. Since he will not be in school, the school cannot provide transportation. Sam requires special transportation arrangements because he cannot drive and public transportation is not available. Sam’s job coach explored transportation options with Sam. They learned of a van service provided by the Department on Aging that provides transportation to individuals with disabilities and the elderly. The van would take Sam to and from work for a cost of $48.00 per month. Sam’s teacher helped him acquire information on an IRWE incentive and assisted him in the application process. In applying for the IRWE incentive, Sam demonstrated . . .
. . . the expense enabled him to work.
. . . because of his disability, he needed the transportation in order to work.
. . . the transportation cost was not reimbursed by any other source.
. . . the expense was reasonable.
. . . the expense was paid during the month in which Sam was working.
Like many high school students, Sam wants to work in the summer. Even though technically not part of his transition program, school personnel recognized that working in the summer will provide a good indication of Sam’s ability to work independently. Neither the school nor Sam is able to pay for transportation to and from work.
Sam’s summer job pays him approximately $240.00 a month. The cost of the van service is $48.00 per month.. As part of the application for an IRWE incentive, Sam itemizes his transportation costs and submits receipts. Sam deducts these expenses from his monthly earnings and reports this to his local SSA office. The IRWE incentive allows Sam to work independently during the summer; without the IRWE incentive, he would need to pay the cost of the van service out of his earnings, therefore he would earn less. (see table below)
Effect on Sam's Monthly Income: |
|
|---|---|
| $240.00 | Debra's gross earnings working in the food store |
| -85.00 | General and earned income exclusion |
| $155.00 | Earned income |
| -48.00 | Sam's IRWE exclusion |
| 107.00 | Divide this amount by 2 (half remaining earnings) |
| $53.50 | SSI countable income |
| $494.00 | Sam's SSI benefits |
| -53.50 | Countable income |
| +240.00 | Sam's gross earnings |
| $680.50 | Sam's gross income |
| -48.00 | Sam's transportation costs |
| $632.50 | Sam's usable gross income |
Sam’s IEP/transition plan included a goal that he would work independently during the summer and maintain all records required by the IRWE. Both of these goals were met. The team turned its attention to Sam’s goals and objectives for the coming school year which included continued employment while attending school during the morning. Since the team wanted to explore other employment opportunities and options, one of his transition objectives was to determine the impact of employment during the school year on his SSI benefits and determine the need, if any, to use other available work incentives. The team also wanted to take a longer-range planning view that included postsecondary employment. Sam would like to pursue a management career in the retail food industry. The team developed a transition goal that Sam, with the assistance of his job coach, would develop a PASS that allowed Sam to set aside part of his earnings for a two-year training program in personnel and business management leading to an Associate degree from the community college. Sam’s PASS would be submitted to SSA by September 30 of the coming school year.