Contact: Bryon R. MacDonald
February 29, 2008
Ph: 510-251-4304
TTY: 510-208-9496

World Institute on Disability Releases Ground-Breaking Manual on Work Incentives and Benefits

OAKLAND, CA—State and federal rules on access to health coverage and benefits can bewilder even a Ph.D. Some programs, like Social Security disability benefits, have thousands of pages of laws and regulations governing them. Every program has its own unique set of rules on interaction with other programs. The resulting confusion can have a devastating impact on people using more than one program or contemplating a return to work.

What can state agencies and other organizations do to help people with disabilities navigate this network and improve their lives? In a groundbreaking new manual—Work Incentives Information Services: Developing a State-Focused Training and Technical Assistance Center—the California Work Incentives Initiative (CWII) at the World Institute on Disability (WID) presents a clear blueprint on how to establish a technical assistance and training center (TA Center) addressing these issues. With a focus on improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities, the manual offers detailed information on providing training and other direct services, web based services, and benefits calculators. Based on eight years of practical experience and lessons learned at CWII, the manual offers integrated approaches to solving stubborn benefits information and work incentives problems.

“The goal of the manual, and ultimately the TA Center, is clear,” says CWII Program Director Bryon MacDonald. “Get the right information into the right hands at the right time. That is what consumers need to make important decisions affecting their lives. And that’s what we hope to facilitate with this publication. State agencies, employers, disability community advocates, and employment support planners will find real value in a review of the materials in this manual.”

To download and print the manual in PDF format click here:

The manual is a product of Contract: SS00-05-60088 between the World Institute on Disability and the Social Security Administration, Office of Program Development and Research.