WIPA & Community Partner Work Incentives Counseling National Training Curriculum: Promoting Employment and Financial Stability of Social Security Beneficiaries with Disabilities

“Over the past 20 years, the National Training and Data Center (NTDC) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has trained and certified more than 3,000 professionals to provide individualized work incentives counseling services to beneficiaries seeking to pursue their career goals and increase their financial independence. These highly skilled Community Work Incentive Counselors (CWICs) and Community Partner Work Incentive Counselors (CPWICs) have met the needs of more than 850,000 beneficiaries in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. The CWICs and CPWICs assist beneficiaries to make employment and financial decisions, including:
1. Developing immediate and long term financial goals;
2. Understanding the effect of increased earnings on eligibility status and benefit amount of Social Security disability and other federal benefits;
3. Making decisions related to the use of public and private health care coverage options;
4. Obtaining employment services from Employment Networks (ENs), state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies, or other community organizations”