Maine's CHOICES CEO Project

People with Disabilities Receiving Services From Maine One-Stop CareerCenters

In 2009, among the customers served by the Adult and Dislocated Workers programs (funded through the federal Workforce Investment Act), the CareerCenters reported 66 customers with disabilities who exited. Of the 66 people who exited, 72 percent entered employment.

More than 3,900 adults with disabilities received employment services at the CareerCenters with funding provided by the Wagner-Peyser Act. From 2002 through 2009, the number of adults with disabilities receiving Wagner-Peyser services increased by an average of 246 customers each year.

As of January 2011, there were 1,399 registered job seekers with disabilities on the Maine Job Bank (an on-line job posting service offered by CareerCenters).

Of the 161 youth served in the Summer Youth Employment Program in 2010 (funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act), approximately 43 percent were youth with disabilities.

Number Entering Competitive Employment: Maine Bureau of Rehabilitation Services

The Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS) provides people with severe disabilities a variety of services to help them get or keep a job. These services include job development and placement, job training, and rehabilitation technology. In fiscal year 2009, 754 people with severe disabilities entered competitive employment and stayed employed for a minimum of 90 days after receiving BRS services. Of those, 649 were served by the General Vocational Rehabilitation program, and 105 were served by the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

On average, people who got jobs in 2009 after participating in the General Vocational Rehabilitation program worked 26 hours per week and earned $11 per hour. People served by the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired worked an average of about 28 hours per week and earned an average of $16 per hour.

Employment Rate of Individuals on Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a federal program that gives cash support to very poor people with severe disabilities. In 2009, there were 33,135 individuals receiving SSI in Maine; of these, 1,934 (6 percent) were working.

The number of SSI beneficiaries in Maine rose steadily over the past eight years, from 27,000 in 2000 to more than 33,000 in 2009. The number of SSI beneficiaries who worked has remained between 2,100 and 2,350 for most of this period, but dropped below 2,000 in 2009. The proportion of SSI recipients who work fell from 8.6 percent in 2000 down to 6.0 percent in 2009.

Work incentives are special rules that make it possible for SSI beneficiaries to work and still receive monthly payments. Very few SSI beneficiaries in Maine use the available work incentives. Of all the blind or disabled SSI recipients statewide, only 44 had a “Plan for Achieving Self-Support” and only 14 took advantage of the “Impairment-related Work Expenses” income exclusion.

Employment Rate of Individuals on Supplemental Security Disability Income (SSDI)

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a federal program that gives cash support to workers who have become disabled, and their spouses and children. In 2009, there were 53,959 disabled workers receiving SSDI benefits in Maine. Of those individuals, 305 (0.6%) had benefits withheld because their earnings exceeded the amount under the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) rules set by the Social Security Administration.

In addition, 214 individuals with disabilities (0.4%) had their SSDI benefits terminated because of a successful return to work. Over the past several years, there has been no clear trend in the number of SSDI beneficiaries who had benefits withheld because of work or who had a successful return to work.

Note: The monthly SGA amount in 2009 was $980 for non-blind individuals, and $1,640 for blind individuals.

Enrollment in the MaineCare Workers with Disabilities Option

The MaineCare Workers with Disabilities Option (WWD Option) allows low-income people with disabilities in Maine’s Medicaid program to earn more by working while keeping their health coverage. From 2003 to 2009, the number of people enrolled in the WWD Option went down and then climbed up again—from a low of 521 in the second quarter of 2003, back up to a high of 861 in the first quarter of 2009. Since that time, monthly enrollment declined moderately, ending 2010 with 813 enrolled workers.