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Benefits Planning, Assistance & Outreach (BPAO) Services - What Do They Do?
By Leticia Martinez, Central Coast Center for Independent Living, Salinas, CA |
The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 caused an increase in the number of people providing benefits planning, assistance & outreach (BPAO) services. According to Social Security Administration benefits planning and assistance is defined as, "a set of benefits counseling strategies, services and supports that seek to promote work preparation, attachment, and advancement focusing on the enhancement of self-sufficiency and independence of Social Security Administration beneficiaries and recipients with disabilities through informed choice, which may result in decreased reliance on public benefit programs and increased financial well being." Exploring how work will affect cash benefits BPAO specialists provide Information and Referral, Problem Solving and Advocacy, Benefits Analysis and Advisement, Benefits Support Planning and Benefits Management to people with disabilities who are receiving either Supplemental Security Income (SSI) &/or Title II (Social Security Disability Insurance SSDI, Childhood Disability Benefit CDB) benefits from Social Security Administration and are ages 14 to 64. Someone might want to contact a BPAO specialist if they recently received the Ticket to Work and would like more information regarding the ticket and how to use it. The person might be considering working or have a job and would like to know how their earned income will affect their cash benefit as well as their Medicaid or Medicare. Mario Rodriguez gets good news Consumer Mario Rodriguez, for example, called a BPAO Specialist because he was ready for job placement, but first wanted to find out how his earned income would affect his SSI check. Fortunately, the Benefits Specialist informed him he was eligible for a work incentive due to his age and student status. He was eligible for the Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) and was owed back pay from Social Security Administration. "I am so glad I was able to talk to a Benefits Specialist because I can now work without having to worry about my health coverage and I found out Social Security owes me money," stated Mario. The Benefits Specialist also reviewed other types of work incentives Mario might possibly use such as Impairment Related Work Expense (IRWE), Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS), Expedited Reinstatement (EXR), 1619b, and the Medicaid Buy-In Program. The Specialist continues to be in constant communication with Mario to make sure he is adequately informed of the work incentives. To find out more information regarding BPAO services please contact your local BPAO specialist. You can find a list of specialists serving your area. |
