Employment and Community Living

Free AbleNOW Webinar

Learn more about ABLE accounts to help individuals with disabilities Achieve a Better Life Experience. Registration is open for a free information session on Wednesday, Sept. 16 from 12-1 p.m. ET. This webinar will cover the advantages of ABLE accounts and the ABLEnow program.

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7592949528941623052

For more information about ABLE accounts and the ABLEnow program, visit the website at: https://www.able-now.com/

Social Security’s 2020 Red Book Now Available

The 2020 version of Social Security’s Red Book (https://www.ssa.gov/redbook/) is now available on their website. The Red Book serves as a general reference source about the employment-related provisions of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Programs for educators, advocates, rehabilitation professionals, and counselors who serve people with disabilities.

New Webinar: Supporting Employment for Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities: How ABLE Accounts and SSA Work Incentives Can Help!

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a month devoted to the importance of an inclusive workforce that values the skills and talents of people with disabilities. ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts can contribute to disability workforce inclusion by supporting the education and employment goals of qualified individuals with disabilities.

WHEN: October 24, 2019, 1:00 PM

WHERE: Click here: Module Registration for Supporting Employment for Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities: How ABLE Accounts and SSA Work Incentives Can Help! (opens in new tab)

Click here for more information about Supporting Employment for Transition-age Youth with Disabilities: How ABLE Accounts and SSA Work Incentives Can Help! (opens in new tab)

Workbooks Available for Work Incentives Planning

The National Training and Data Center at Virginia Commonwealth University has created two workbooks to help you build your knowledge about Supplemental Security Income (SSI) work incentives and Title II disability benefit work incentives. 

1.    The SSI Workbook (https://vcu-ntdc.org/resources/viewContent.cfm?contentID=214) includes 18 scenario-based activities.  For each activity you will complete an SSI calculation worksheet and answer a few related questions.

2.    The Title II Disability Workbook (https://vcu-ntdc.org/resources/viewContent.cfm?contentID=215) includes 17 scenario-based activities.  For most of these activities, you will complete a Trial Work Period and Extended Period of Eligibility chart and answer a few related questions. 

These activities provide you an opportunity to practice applying work incentives. The answer key for each activity is provided at the end of the workbook. 

Employment First Trainings Added

REGISTER NOW!

40-Hour Employment First Core Training

LSU Human Development Center (HDC) in collaboration with Louisiana Association of Persons Supporting Employment First (LA-APSE) has upcoming training classes scheduled in New Orleans, Alexandria, and Baton Rouge!

  • October 22-24, 2019 in New Orleans at LSU HDC 411 South Prieur Street
  • December 10-12, 2019 in Alexandria, LA at TBD
  • January 28-30, 2020 in Baton Rouge at UpLIFTD 1979 Beaumont Avenue

One day 5.0 Hour training classes for Continuing Education are also being offered.

See the LSU HDC Employment Initiatives Website for more information and to register   

Louisiana APSE logo
Louisiana Association of Persons Supporting Employment First

Hearing on Social Security 2100 Act

On Thursday July 25, at 10 am, the full House Committee on Ways and Means will hold a hearing entitled “The Social Security 2100 Act.” This bill (H.R. 860), introduced by Congressman John Larson (D-CT-1) and cosponsored by over 200 Democrats, would increase benefits for all current and future Social Security recipients, cut taxes for almost 12 million seniors, and strengthen the trust fund by increasing some payroll taxes and by creating one trust fund for retirement, survivor, and disability benefits.

Earlier this year, the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee held a series of hearings around this bill entitled “Protecting and Improving Social Security”: Enhancing Social Security to Strengthen the Middle Class (March 12), Benefit Enhancements (March 13), and Comprehensive Legislative Proposals to Enhance Social Security (April 10).

The hearing on July 25th will be before the full Committee on Ways and Means. The invited witnesses are: Stephen C. Goss, Chief Actuary, Social Security Administration; Nancy J. Altman, President, Social Security Works; Kelly Brozyna, Job Creators Network’s National Women’s Coalition; Abigail Zapote, Executive Director, Latinos for a Secure Retirement; and Shaun Castle, Deputy Executive Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America.

The hearing will be in room 1100 in the Longworth House Office Building (15 Independence Ave SE, Washington, D.C. 20515) and will be livestreamed here.

Join the ODEP’s Section 14 (c) National Online Dialogue on Employment of People with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), through its ePolicyWorks initiative, is hosting the Section 14(c) National Online Dialogue to gather perspectives on Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. We invite you to share your ideas, individual stories, and personal experiences illustrating the impact of Section 14(c) on the employment of people with disabilities.

Since 1938, Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act has authorized employers to pay wages that are less than the federal minimum wage to workers who have disabilities for the work being performed, after receiving a special wage certificate from Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. The purpose of this National Online Dialogue is to capture perspectives about Section 14(c) based on individual input from those “on the ground,” including a wide range of stakeholders. The information gathered during this important online dialogue will provide the U.S. Department of Labor with an opportunity to better understand the current landscape, as well as the potential future of Section 14(c).

To participate, visit 14cDialogue.IdeaScale.com and register to share your experiences and ideas, and to comment on ideas submitted by others.

Employment First Training Fall Schedule 2019

HDC in collaboration with Louisiana APSE has upcoming training classes on Employment First for the 40-Hour Core & 5-Hour Continuing Education Credits for LRS and Medicaid Employment Providers. (There is a reduced fee for LA APSE members.)

See the LSU HDC Employment Initiatives Website for more information and to register

40 Hour Employment Core Training Certificate for LRS and Medicaid Employment Providers

  • Baton Rouge – September 10-12, 2019
  • New Orleans – October 22-24, 2019
  • Alexandria – December 10-12, 2019
  • Additional 5.0-hour classes available, see website for dates and topics

Employment First Trainings Available

HDC in collaboration with Louisiana APSE has upcoming training classes on Employment First for the 40-Hour Core & 5-Hour Continuing Education Credits for LRS and Medicaid Employment Providers. (There is a reduced fee for LA APSE members.)

See the LSU HDC Employment Initiatives Website for more information and to register

40 Hour Employment Core Training Certificate for LRS and Medicaid Employment Providers

  • Baton Rouge – March 26-28, 2019
  • New Orleans – April 16-18, 2019
  • Lafayette- May 21-23, 2019
  • Additional 5.0-hour classes available, see website for dates and topics

LRS Opens Order of Selection Category 4

Effective February 14, 2019m Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS) opened Order of Selection (OOS) Category 4 and has begun serving those currently on the Category 4 waiting list, in addition to serving new referrals and applicants determined eligible in OOS Categories 1, 2, 3, and 4. See the following letter available in different accessible formats from LRS Director Melissa Bayham: