Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (WIPA)

Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (WIPA) projects can help you understand your options should you choose to pursue work. WIPAs are staffed by Community Work Incentive Coordinators (CWICs) who can talk with you about working, earning more money, and how working can affect your benefits.

WIPAs can help you:

• Understand the rules of specific Work Incentives and how they apply to you
• Decide whether the Ticket to Work program is right for you
• Understand the potential benefits and facts about employment as a person who receives Social Security disability benefits.
• Analyze how work and earnings affect your SSI, SSDI, health care, and state and local benefits
• Find a good match with a State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency or an Employment Network, depending upon your needs
• Decide when and where to assign your Ticket
• Find information about employer-based health coverage available to beneficiaries who have entered the workforce
• Understand work and earnings changes in your eligibility for state and Federally- subsidized medical programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.

If you still have questions after visiting our Work Incentives webpage, please contact your local Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) project, or call our Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 / 866-833-2967 (TTY/TDD). WIPA projects are listed in the Resource Directory. One of the best ways to learn more about Work Incentives including the Ticket to Work program is to attend a free Work Incentives Seminar Event (WISE) online webinar. The Ticket to Work program hosts an accessible online event for you and your family to learn about Work Incentives, including Ticket to Work. You can join a webinar on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Register online or call 1-866-968-7842 / 866-833-2967 (TTY/TDD).

Want to do more reading on your own? Check out the Social Security Red Book, the official guide to Work Incentives.