Employment Programs

How is Nevada using its’ MIG grant to get the word out about Disability Employment Issues? One way, is by holding events to celebrate Disability Awareness Month. During October, Nevada held a Disability Employment/Education Fair for local businesses & community agencies. The marketing materials for this fair, available here, include announcements, flyers, a sample invitation and "Ability Link," the Nevada Business Leadership Network newsletter with the months’ highlighted events.

What is the Montana MIG grant doing to employ Native Americans with disabilities? Here, two examples are provided in Montana's Native American Conference Brochure and American Indians with Disabilities Survey of Barriers to Employment. These could serve as examples to other states, also looking to reach specific populations.

How can employers attract and retain employees with disabilities? This and other issues having to do with disabled workers are addressed in a brochure sent to Montana employers. This tool includes a self assessment questioner about workplace disability practices, a letter from the governor, a myths and facts section, and resources for more information. While this is meant for Montana residents, this could serve as a template for other states interested in employing more people with disabilities.

This 15-page slide presentation, summarizes the need for the Medicaid Buy-In Program in Hawaii, called “Hire Abilities”. This presentation outlines the program’s goals, recent successes, need for the MIG option, enrollment, cost and more. It also looks at the national MIG picture and could be a helpful resource for other states.

Hawaii’s Medicaid Infrastructure Grant held a benefits planning workshop in 2008 to inform the community about ways for disability beneficiaries to return to work. Case managers, consumers and benefits planners were invited to attend. At the conclusion, they were asked to rate their satisfaction with the overall workshop and with each session. The agenda and satisfaction results are presented here. It’s data that could prove helpful to any state interested in planning successful workshops.

The Vermont Offset Pilot Demonstration is one of four state pilots initiated as a first step in preparing for the BOND demonstration. It's purpose is to test whether changing SSDI rules to provide a glide ramp off SSDI cash benefits would encourage more beneficiaries to work at a high enough level to reduce or eliminate cash benefit payments. The findings provide invaluable information on the issues of implementing such a complex federal project within widely variable state systems.

The Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities in Vermont is working towards "Promoting the employment of Vermont citizens of all abilities". Here you will find an archive of the committees' newsletter "Abilities," which focuses on programs and resources on a number of topics having to do with the employment of people with disabilities.

Ohio's Medicaid Buy-In for Workers with Disabilities (MBIWD) was created to enable Ohioans with disabilities to work and still keep their health care coverage. An application for this program, translated into Spanish, could be useful to consumers as well as state’s with similar needs. The application is provided here.

Choices about employment and lifestyle are often made without full understanding of the many rules. The State of Utah wants its service providers and teachers to understand all the options so they can inform and empower people with disabilities to have increased earnings and improved quality of life. The attached presentations are training materials detailing Medicaid Work Incentives. One presentation is directed at agency and provider personnel, and the other to future teachers.

This evaluation report provides the reader with an overview, as well as a detailed description of the evaluations completed in 2007 of Freedom to Work Project activities in South Dakota. It collects evidence from those involved in the project (using surveys, interviews, observations, focus groups, etc.) to obtain a documented, shared understanding of the project’s effectiveness. These findings could be helpful to states with similar projects, or those considering implementing new ones.