By Cleo E. Brown

Their names are Mathew Canussen, Seth Margolis, Digna Quinones, and Carlton Whitmore. They have each been diagnosed as disabled and unable to work. In today’s society, however, each now works in some capacity as a Peer Counselor, Specialist, and/or Supervisor. Each person’s story is a story of perseverance and personal triumph in which each Individual overcame enormous obstacles to once again enter the work force in a full-time capacity.

Once a person is diagnosed as disabled and unable to work, to the extent that the person receives SSI (Social Security Income) or SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance), it is not likely that the person will work again since only 10% to 15% of people with a disability are employed. Work, as defined by MBI-WPD (Medicaid Buy-In Program for Working People with Disabilities) is “any activity for which you receive payment and pay all appropriate taxes including FICA. This can be full-time, part-time, or self-employment.”

Mathew Canussen did not work for seven years between the ages of sixteen and twenty-three years of age. When people would ask him “What do you do for a living?” coming from a successful and a prominent family and having a set of friends who were as equally successful as his family, Matt says that his heart would sink. His self esteem plummeted. He was incarcerated for a period of time. Then he became a student. He put himself through college. Then he did volunteer work. This helped him to gain valuable and practical experience. Finally he went to work for NYAPRS (New York Association for Psychiatric and Rehabilitative Services) as a Peer Specialist and as a Supervisor (Team Leader). Doing so gave to him a reason to get out of bed in the morning and elevated his self-esteem. As Mr. Canussen says, “We can all do more. We can all give more.”

Seth Margolis, on the other hand, is the story of a man diagnosed with depression and psychosis who was in and out of hospitals. He lost the job that he had because his employers found out about his mental health diagnosis. Victimized by Stigma, Seth drove a cab and eventually returned to college graduating in eight years with honors. It was not until his association with a group in Austin, Texas called The Shack, which gave to him hope that he learned that hope and recovery are possible for all people. Today he is a Peer Counselor and a Specialist.

Digna Quinones, who is a product of the Foster-Care and Group Home System, is today the proud mother and grandmother of four children. Inspite of suffering a relapse from the stress associated with working a full-time job, she is proud that she was able to give herself a ray and a spark of hope. Today she works for The State of New York Office of Mental Health as a Regional Advocacy Specialist.

Carlton Whitmore’s story is unique. He had always known of the value and the importance of work since he had worked from a young age in his college-educated father’s gas station. He always understood, therefore, that work was important and that work could benefit him. Something went wrong, however, when he was in college inspite of his having a mother in the mental health profession.

He began to suffer from depression to the extent that he began to self medicate through drug use. He became suicidal. He became homeless. Carlton was in recovery for one year before he was ready to return to work. He took free classes at the library. He participated in volunteer work. He built his self esteem and came to know himself and, consequently, what was best for him. Today he is a Peer Advocate Supervisor.

Hope, self-esteem, building a knowledge base, and getting an education are the tools which the presenters at NYAPRS We Can Work Forum, held in The Rose Room of Bellevue Hospital in New York City on May 21, 2009, used to propel themselves back into the workplace. What about, however, the more practical aspects of returning to work if you are formally disabled and an SSI or an SSDI recipient? The first thing you will want to do is to have your Ticket to Work re-instated. The Social Security Administration issues Tickets to Work to Beneficiaries with disabilities.

A Beneficiary can both obtain services to help find a job with a Ticket to Work (Employment Network)and insure that his/her SSA Benefits will still be in place should employment not work out. With a Ticket to Work, should the Beneficiary need to re-instate his/her SSI/SSDI Benefits a CDR (Continuing Disability Review) will not be necessary.

Also invaluable is The Medicaid Buy-In for people on SSI or SSDI in the State of New York. If you are working; are a resident of New York State; are between the ages of 16 and 64; have been determined disabled by SSI’s guidelines; and are a United States’ Citizen you are eligible to participate in The Medicaid Buy-In in which you are able to buy your health insurance through Medicaid. The application process takes ninety days.

`Do you want to put yourself through school? Do you want to begin your own business? If you answered “yes” to one or to both of these questions then the work incentive in the SSI program called A Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS) is a good plan for you. Under The Pass Plan a disabled person can save a specified amount of money per month to meet the added expense of either or both of these goals. And, for your information, while SSI is provided for people who have no work history and who cannot work, SSDI is money which people who have worked paid into an account before they became disabled. SSI Beneficiaries, therefore, can earn only $85.00 per month before they must declare this income affecting the amount of SSI Benefits they will then receive. While SSDI Recipients, on the other hand, can work for nine months and still collect their full SSDI checks.

The biggest fear keeping people from returning to the workplace is the fear of loosing one’s benefits. With A Ticket to Work, however, and The Medicaid Buy-In and The PASS Programs returning to work need not be as oppressive as it otherwise would be. Also cited at the forum as keeping people from returning to work was anxiety, stress, procrastination, physical health and stamina, having a criminal record, racism, and sexism.

If you are interested in learning more about The Ticket to Work, Medicaid Buy-In, or PASS Plans contact Olga Ivnitsky at (718) 256-5631 or at olga.ivnitsky@omh.state.ny.us.

For free Legal help with Disability Law and concerns contact Paula Martinez-Boone of The New York Lawyers For The Public Interest, Inc. at (212) 244-4664.

Cleo Brown is an editor and writer at Hip-Hop Republican.com she is a moderate Republican who works as an Instructor and as The Dean of Student Affairs in a GED Preparation Program in New York City. Cleo holds a Master’s Degree in Contemporary African-American History from The University of California at Davis.