Next Steps

Talk to people and organizations who can help your child take the next steps to find work. Here are some options:

• Your child’s IEP team. If your child has an Individualized Education Program (IEP), tell the team you want your child to work.
• Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services. Contact a Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) office to get your child the support needed to prepare for and find work.
• Iowa Department for the Blind (IDB). If your child is blind or has low vision, contact the Iowa Department for the Blind for help with work, education, training, and independent living goals.
• Your local HHS office. If your child has a case manager at the Health and Human Services (HHS) office, tell him or her that work is part of your child’s plan.
• A local IowaWORKS office. Ask them about their youth programs.

Talk to a benefits planner to learn more about options and discover other helpful resources.

Use DB101’s School and Work Estimator to get a sense of how work could impact your child’s benefits.

For more about benefits programs and their rules, read DB101’s articles about:

• Benefits for Young People, including details about many different benefits and how rules change as your child gets older.
• Supplemental Security Income, which covers SSI’s rules in detail.
• The Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, which covers people with and without disabilities.
• Disability-based Medicaid, which introduces more ways people with disabilities may qualify for Medicaid health coverage.
• Medicaid for Employed People with Disabilities (MEPD), which lets people with disabilities earn more money, save more resources, and keep their Medicaid coverage.
• Building Your Assets and Wealth, an introduction to asset-building strategies.
• Plans to Achieve Self-Support, looking at the ways a PASS can help.

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. You can call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY). Learn more on DB101's page about Ticket to Work in Iowa.

A trained Benefits Planner can help you understand your benefits programs. Exactly who you need to contact depends on your situation and the benefits you get.

View DB101's full list of experts who can help you understand different benefits.