Disability Planning
People with physical and mental disabilities face a myriad of complex rules when contemplating a possible return to work. To help them navigate those rules, ECONorthwest has developed easy-to-use, interactive models that calculate the income available to a disabled individual and his or her family after allowing for essential living expenses and benefits. These sites allow disabled individuals who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or both to estimate the impact of earnings on their cash benefits, health coverage, food stamps, and housing subsidies.
ECONorthwest has collaborated with the States of Wisconsin and Oregon to develop WICHEQ and WorkBenefits, respectively. Now, with financial assistance from the U.S. Social Security Administration, ECONorthwest is working with the World Institute on Disability and Eightfold Way Consultants to bring this technology to California in Disability Benefits 101. This site also includes calculators for other life situations, such as job-to-job, youth-to-work, sudden onset, and planned work-to-benefits.
