Disability Benefits 101: Working with a disability in Missouri

Work Incentives: Next Steps

Find a Job

Contact a Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) office in your area to sign up for an orientation to learn about the eligibility requirements and services VR offers. The program offers a variety of services to people with disabilities to prepare for, get, and keep employment.

Missouri Career Centers can help you find a job and plan for your career. To find a Missouri Career Center near you, call 1-888-728-5627 (1-888-728-JOBS) or click here for a list of all Career Centers in Missouri.

Jobs.mo.gov is an online service where you can look for jobs.

The U.S. Department of Labor's My Skills, My Future website helps job seekers match their skills with new careers and find out what training is needed to move from one job to another.

Benefits Planning Services

If you're currently on SSI, SSDI, or CDB benefits, and you're looking for a job, a trained Benefits Specialist can help you avoid complications when you are working on a job plan for your future. For questions or guidance specific to your situation, you can speak to someone at the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 (1-866-833-2967 TTY/TDD) Monday through Friday from 8:00AM - 8:00PM EST.

Ticket to Work

Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program helps people with disabilities who get Social Security benefits re-enter the workforce and become more independent. The Ticket to Work Program offers free access to employment-related services, such as training, transportation, and vocational rehabilitation.

Apply for Benefits

You can apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI):

By calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 (TTY)
At your local Social Security Office

You can also apply for SSDI online. If you have an appointment with Social Security, it's a good idea to review the Disability Starter Kit to prepare.

To apply for health care coverage through MO HealthNet:

If you are elderly, blind, or have a disability:
- Download the MO HealthNet application form. After you print it and fill it out, submit it to your Family Support Division (FSD) office, or
- You can apply in person at your Family Support Division (FSD) office
If you are under the age of 19, a parent, a pregnant woman, and or an uninsured woman age 18 – 54:
- Apply online at Missouri Department of Social Services
- Download the MO HealthNet application form. After you print it and fill it out, submit it to the FSD Union Processing Center: PO Box 1010, Union, MO, 63084
- Apply in person at your local Family Support Division (FSD) office, or
- Apply over the phone by calling 1-855-373-9994

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Glossary

1619(b)

A rule that lets people who stop getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits due to work income keep their MO HealthNet health coverage while earning up to $37,692 per year. 1619(b) also makes it easier to get SSI benefits started up again if your countable income goes below SSI's income limit. For 1619(b), you must continue to meet other SSI eligibility rules, such as the resource limit.

Note: If your earnings are over this limit and you have high medical expenses, you might still qualify for 1619(b). Ask your local Social Security office about the 1619(b) Individualized Earnings Threshold.

Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE)

A three-year period (36 months) after your SSDI Trial Work Period ends, during which you can keep getting SSDI benefits in any month when you earn less than the Substantial Gainful Activity level ($1,220 in 2019; $2,040 if you're blind).

If you earn more than SGA, your SSDI benefits will be suspended. However, during the EPE, you are eligible to have your SSDI benefits restarted if your earnings drop below SGA.

Resources

Cash or property that you own, can convert to cash, or can use to support yourself. Stocks, bonds, and savings accounts are a few examples of resources. The home you live in and the car you drive to work are exempt under most Social Security and state disability benefit programs. For Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the first $100,000 in an ABLE account is not counted as resources. For MO HealthNet, Food Stamps, and some other programs, none of the money in an ABLE account is counted.

Also called "assets."

Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)

The amount of monthly earned income that shows a person is doing significant work according to Social Security. People who cannot earn more than SGA due to their disabilities may be considered disabled by Social Security and other agencies that use Social Security’s definition of disability.

In 2019, SGA is $1,220 per month ($2,040 for people who are blind).

SGA levels for previous years:

Year	Disabled, Non-blind	Blind
2017	$1,170	$1,950
2016	$1,130	$1,820
2015	$1,090	$1,820
2014	$1,070	$1,800
2013	$1,040	$1,740
2012	$1,010	$1,690
2011	$1,000	$1,640
2010	$1,000	$1,640

Social Security lists the SGA levels for earlier years.

Trial Work Period (TWP)

The Trial Work Period is the nine Trial Work months occurring within a five-year window when you can work and continue to get your full SSDI benefit. These work months can occur one right after the other or be spread out over time.

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