RSVP, Inc. is committed to assisting Virginians with disabilities to become or remain employed and to understand the impact of earned income on their SSI and SSDI benefits.
The Work Incentives Specialist Advocates (WISA) program through RSVP, Inc. provides counseling and support to individuals in Virginia receiving Social Security Disability (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) who want to return to work but fear losing their benefits or health insurance. WISAs are certified experts, trained by Cornell University or Virginia Commonwealth University, who guide clients through work incentive regulations and help protect their benefits while they test their ability to work.
Key services provided include:
- Benefits Analysis: Reviews work history, goals, and Social Security benefits, providing a detailed report on how working may impact benefits.
- Overpayments: Helps resolve issues affecting long-term employment goals.
- Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE): Reduces countable income for disability-related work expenses paid out of pocket.
- Blind Work Expense (BWE): Excludes certain work-related costs for those with blindness from countable income.
- SSI 1619(b): Ensures continued Medicaid coverage when SSI benefits stop due to increased earnings, as long as income remains within state-specific limits.
- Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE): Allows students under 22 to exclude earned income up to set monthly and annual limits.
- ABLEnow: A tax-free savings program for individuals with disabilities that doesn’t affect eligibility for most means-tested benefits in Virginia.
- Activity Report: to report hours working, earnings, and if incentives are used.
- Subsidies & Special Conditions: when approaching Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA), can help reduce the total countable wages each month.
- Medicaid Works: voluntary Medicaid plan that enables workers with disabilities to earn a higher income and retain more in savings and/or resources than is usually allowed by Medicaid
