Work Incentives are programs that the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers to people with disabilities who are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) to help make it possible for people to explore work while still receiving health care and cash benefits.
The Work Incentives are slightly different depending on whether you receive SSI or SSDI; however, all the Incentives are designed to encourage you to enter, re-enter or continue in the workforce.
You can learn more about Work Incentives by reading Social Security’s Red Book (also in Spanish).
When you’re working and receiving SSI, within the first nine days of each month you must report your wages from the previous month. Avoid the possibility of a mistake or loss of paperwork in the mail by using the SSI Mobile Wage Reporting app, or call toll-free (800) 772-1213.
There are agencies in Pennsylvania that can provide free counseling to people who qualify for SSDI and/or SSI and who are interested in learning how working may affect their government benefits. These agencies are funded, in part, by a federal program called Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA).
Working with a WIPA agency can help you:
WIPAs do not make any decisions about a person’s benefits. Those decisions are made by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and other agencies (including the Department of Human Services and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation).
Each of the Pennsylvania WIPA agencies is responsible for specific areas of the state. To find out which agency covers your county, contact one of the agencies listed below.
Sarah Guyer-Marshall
Program Director/Community Work Incentive Coordinator
(866) 902-4333
joy.smith@ahedd.org
Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Elk, Erie, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Huntington, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lycoming, McKean, Mifflin, Perry, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, and Westmoreland counties.
Jennifer Tenney
Program Director/Community Work Incentive Coordinator
(304) 293-4692
jtenney@hsc.wvu.edu
Beaver, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence, Mercer, Somerset, and Washington counties.
Martine Marie DeLorenzo
Program Director
(800) 692-7443, ext. 309
mdelorenzo@disabilityrightspa.org
Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Pike, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Wayne, and York counties.
Samatha Loicano
Program Director/Community Work Incentive Coordinator
(800) 692-7443, ext. 309
ruchi.edwards@fullcircledc.com
Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties.
If retirement savings will not put your government benefits in jeopardy, retirement planning is something you should begin as soon as possible. There are a whole set of rules and a lot of thinking that needs to go into planning for retirement. The U.S. Department of Labor lists a number of helpful webpages about retirement planning.