Meet Eric

At 16, Eric was in his junior year of high school. He had cerebral palsy (CP) and so had an Individualized Education Program (IEP) at his school. During high school, his IEP team worked with a Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselor to develop a transition plan that would help prepare him for adulthood. Since Eric wanted to go to college, this team helped him take the necessary steps to succeed academically.

When he turned 18, Eric began to qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Adult Public Assistance (APA). By the end of his freshman year of college, Eric was showing a lot of talent with computers and wanted to apply for a summer job. However, he worried that his earnings could affect his benefits, so he spoke with his VR counselor. The counselor had a benefits analysis done for Eric, which showed that a special SSI rule called the Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) would let Eric work over the summer without losing any of his SSI and APA benefits, or Medicaid health coverage. After that, Eric found a summer job at his university's computer lab, where he would make $2,000 per month.

This story shows the steps Eric took as he went from being a high school student to entering college and getting his first job.