Work Incentives Touted

Some excerpts from the Contra Costa Times:

Oakland resident Bernadette Nicholson was a law student when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1972. Despite her growing incapacity, she pursued a career in law until she could no longer work. Last year, she launched Write Touch, a greeting card publisher, from her home. ...

She jumped in without a net. She was willing to take the gamble without knowing -- as so many others are also unaware -- that the Social Security Administration has programs to help people with disabilities transition into self-employment without risking benefits and insurance. ...

Plan for Achieving Self-Support, PASS, is a federal program allowing recipients of SSI and SSDI to set aside money to achieve certain work goals. Under SSI, any outside income reduces your benefit. But if you qualify for PASS, Social Security will not count that new income against your monthly benefit.

My experience is that PASS is almost worthless because of multiple restrictions on how it can be used and because Social Security cannot make PASS decisions on a timely basis. Social Security employees seem almost rightened of approving a PASS application. There seems to be much sentiment at Social Security that if you can even think about working, you should not be on Social Security disability benefits and any statutes or regulations suggesting otherwise must be interpreted against the claimant or ignored.