Eric Gets a Summer Job

In September, Eric entered the University of Alaska as a computer science major. During his freshman year of college, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Adult Public Assistance (APA) helped cover Eric’s expenses. Ever since he turned 18, he’d been getting $628.67 in SSI benefits each month and $368 in APA benefits because of his disability and his lack of income and resources. Eric also got Medicaid health coverage automatically.

Eric’s passion for computers and his hard work paid off. He was getting straight A's and by the middle of his freshman year at the University of Alaska, he was starting to think about getting a summer job. But Eric was worried that getting paid might impact his SSI and APA benefits or Medicaid health coverage, so he called up Alice, his vocational rehabilitation counselor who had been working with him since high school.

Alice told Eric that as his VR counselor, she could have a Certified Work Incentive Coordinator (CWIC) do a benefits analysis as part of his Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE). The CWIC's benefits analysis would look at how the money he might make at a job would affect his benefits. Eric thought this was a great idea.

About a month later, Alice contacted Eric to let him know that his benefits analysis report was ready. A few days later, Eric and Alice met with David, the CWIC who had done the benefits analysis. David was happy to explain what the report really meant. David started out by asking Eric a question, “Eric, have you ever heard of the Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE)?”

Eric hadn’t.

David explained, “The Student Earned Income Exclusion is a rule that lets young people who are students get jobs without having their SSI or APA benefits go down. Sometimes we just call it SEIE for short. I’ve got good news for you: thanks to the SEIE, my benefits analysis shows that you can get a summer job and keep all of your benefits, as long as you make $2,290 per month or less."

Eric was surprised and asked, "Really?"

"Yes,” David responded. “The SEIE was created so that students can get some work experience and keep all of their SSI and APA benefits. To get the SEIE, you have to be under the age of 22 and regularly attending school (that means eight hours in class per week during the school year for you, because you’re in college). If you make more than $2,290 in any one month or more than $9,230 in a year, then your SSI will probably be reduced, even with the SEIE.”

Eric did the math. “I’m 19 and a full-time student. I've never had a job, but started looking at some jobs over the summer, where I'd make about $2,000 per month. A summer job would last for two months, so I'd only make a total of about $4,000. Based on what you're saying, I could get a summer job like that, and then even get another little part-time job when school starts in the fall, and I’ll still qualify for my SSI and APA benefits.”

"That's right," replied David. David then explained that if Eric got a job, he'd need to remember to report his new income to Social Security and the Division of Public Assistance (DPA) when he got his first paycheck and to remind Social Security and DPA that he was in college and was claiming the SEIE. David emphasized, “If you don’t do your paperwork right, they might try to take your benefits away.”

Eric had one last question for David. “If I'm still getting SSI and APA after I get a job, I'll keep having Medicaid coverage, right?”

David reassured Eric, “Yes! It's automatic as long as you get APA. I'll send you a copy of the full benefits analysis, so that you can read it over."

Eric thanked David, and told Alice that he would start looking at summer job listings. Soon afterwards, he found a job he really liked at the university’s computer lab for $2,000 per month. It would be Eric’s first real job and he was pretty excited. He applied and got a job offer a couple of weeks later!

Eric loved his summer job. He really knew his stuff with computers and at the University of Alaska, he learned a lot more. He also enjoyed earning money for the first time. He used some of it to buy a new computer, some new clothes for his sophomore year, and a really nice necklace for his girlfriend. He also managed to save $1,000 in a bank account to spend over the course of the year.

Eric
Second year of college:
Age:	19
Disability:	Cerebral palsy
Occupation:	College student and computer lab consultant
Income:	$2,000 per month from a summer job, $628.67 per month from SSI, and $368 from APA
Resources:	$1,000 in savings
Health coverage:	Medicaid