Resources

On this page of our site we will provide individuals, employers and business owner with vital informational links that you should know about. 

Social Security Trial Work Period:
You can work without losing your benefits.
SSDI -- The trial work period allows you to test your ability to work for at least 9 months. During your trial work period, you will receive your full disability benefit regardless of how much you earn as long as your work activity has been reported and you continue to have a disabling impairment. The 9 months does not need to be consecutive and your trial work period will last until you accumulate 9 months within a rolling 60-month period. Certain other rules apply. Special rules make it possible for people with disabilities receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to work and still receive monthly payments and Medicare or Medicaid. Social Security calls these rules "work incentives." Below are the rules that apply under each program.
Courtesy of: www.ssa.gov
List of SSI and SSDI Work Incentives

Veteran Employment:
VetJobs: America's Premier Job Board for Veterans. VetJobs is also a leading source for candidates with security clearances.

Veteran Educaton Benefits:
Did you know you can use your POST 9/11 GI Bill for on the job training, apperenticeships, and non college degree programs.
Courtesy of: GI Bill - Veteran Affairs
 

Higher Education
Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, ensures that all eligible individuals can benefit from federally funded financial assistance for education beyond high school. We consistently champion the promise of postsecondary education to all Americans —and its value to our society.
Read more / Courtesy of: FAFSA.ed.gov

Tax Benefits for Businesses Who Have Employees with Disabilities
Businesses accommodating people with disabilities may qualify for some of the following tax credits and deductions. More detailed information may be found in the IRS publications referenced.
Courtesy of: IRS.gov  Read more

Self-Employment & Entrepreneurship

Self-employment has long been an option for individuals seeking a new or better career. And today, many individuals with disabilities are turning to the flexibility self-employment offers in assisting them to meet both professional and financial goals. Starting one's own business can offer similar flexibility, allowing people to make a living while maintaining a lot of latitude in choices such as work hours, nature of tasks and income. As a result, ODEP encourages and supports self-employment and entrepreneurship among individuals with disabilities and has helped foster an array of partnerships at the Federal, state and local levels to encourage access to funding and resources to assist individuals with disabilities interested in these alternatives to traditional employment.

The following resources provide more information about self-employment and entrepreneurship:

• START-UP USA — Self-employment initiative started by ODEP that consisted of one national technical assistance center and three state-level cooperative agreements (New York, Alaska and Florida).
• An Analysis of Self-Employment Outcomes within the Federal/State Vocational Rehabilitation System — Report by START-UP/USA program and published in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation that explores the extent to which self-employment is occurring within the VR system as an employment outcome.
• Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Launch Nearly 50 Businesses in Central New York — Article about successful outcomes of ODEP-supported START-UP NY.
• Customized Employment — Five-year initiative implemented by ODEP in 2001 that continues to promote customized employment, which may include self-employment and entrepreneurship, as a flexible work arrangement. Highlights of particular projects providing self-employment assistance to individuals with disabilities include:
  • Enhancing Self-employment Options for People with Disabilities: Indianapolis, IN
  • Funding Self-Employment: Cobb County, GA
  • Self-Employment: Montana
  • Self-Employment: Sample Forms and Guidelines
  • Georgia Workforce Action Grant: Jobs for All: An Olmstead Initiative
  • Indiana Customized Employment Project Program
  • Easter Seals Central Alabama ACE Micro-Enterprise Program
  • Self-Employment and Microenterprise: A Customized Employment Option
• Entrepreneurship Resources — Information about self-employment and starting a business from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a free service of ODEP.
• Project GATE (Growing America Through Entrepreneurship) — Joint initiative between DOL's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and SBA that helps entrepreneurs in rural and urban areas achieve their aspirations to own a business.
• Small Business Administration (SBA) — Federal agency that provides assistance to current and prospective small business owners.
• Assets for Independence (AFI) Program — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services program that enables community-based nonprofits and government agencies to implement and demonstrate an assets-based approach for giving low-income families a hand up out of poverty; programs may include training on starting a business.
• Road to Self-Sufficiency: A Guide to Entrepreneurship for Youth with Disabilities — ODEP-funded guide that shows how entrepreneurship education can be implemented and offers suggestions on how to introduce self-employment as an option for all youth, including youth with disabilities.
• Encouraging Future Innovation: Youth Entrepreneurship Education — Fact sheet describing benefits of entrepreneurship as a career option for young people with disabilities.
• Mind Your Own Business — Website created by SBA and Junior Achievement to introduce youth to entrepreneurial concepts and resources.