VCU Receives $4.2 Million Grant to Support Federal Work Incentive Program for People With Disabilities
Mike Frontiero
VCU School of Education
(804) 827-2415
mdfronti@vcu.edu
5/5/2008
Virginia Commonwealth University has received a $4.2 million contract to
help people with disabilities find jobs that reduce their dependence on
government assistance.
The three-year contract from the Social Security Administration will allow VCU to
provide comprehensive training and technical assistance for more than 500
Community Work Incentives Coordinators -- local professionals who promote
employment opportunities for SSA beneficiaries with disabilities in all 50
states and U.S. territories.
Fear of losing critical cash benefits and
health insurance prevents millions of beneficiaries from attempting to obtain
employment or return to work. As a result, these individuals remain
unnecessarily dependent on government benefits as their sole source of
financial security, according to the National
Council on Disability.
This dependence is often unjustified, as
SSA disability programs include many work incentives designed to encourage and
facilitate employment. When provided complete and accurate information, many
individuals can pursue careers that will lead to increased independence and
economic self-sufficiency.
"Work incentives planning and assistance
services provided by Community Work Incentives Coordinators provide the single
most important method for communicating correct information to help
beneficiaries overcome these fears," said project director John Kregel,
Ed.D., associate director and research director of the VCU School of
Education's Rehabilitation Research and
Training Center.
"To be effective in this counseling,
however, the coordinators must acquire a complete understanding of Social
Security Administration disability programs and federal health insurance
programs," he said. "Incomplete or inaccurate information can often lead to
financial hardship and lack of access to medical services for individuals who
can least afford it."
This contract continues VCU's role as a
leading national clearinghouse for information and training that supports the
employment efforts of SSA beneficiaries. Since 2000, the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance
National Training Center at VCU has been awarded more than $14 million in
federal contracts and provided training and technical assistance to 800
community- based professionals providing service to more than 250,000 SSA
beneficiaries.
"VCU's knowledge of work incentives is
immeasurable and the partnership with VCU is very important to us," said Laura
Vogt, project officer in the SSA's Office of Employment Support Programs.
"Everyone has a right to work and everyone should have a choice, and the
combined efforts of VCU and the WIPA projects provide our beneficiaries the
information they need to make an informed choice about work."
- About VCU and the VCU Medical Center
Virginia Commonwealth University is a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. Located on two downtown campuses in Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 32,000 students in 211 certificate and degree programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Sixty-nine of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU’s 13 schools and one college. MCV Hospitals and the health sciences schools of Virginia Commonwealth University compose the VCU Medical Center, one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers. For more, see www.vcu.edu.
