How Eric Did It

Eric was a high school student who graduated and went to college. During that time, his Individualized Education Program (IEP) ended and he started getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Adult Public Assistance (APA). Eventually, he got his first job. Over the years, he got support from many different people and programs.

To improve his life situation, Eric:

• Worked with his IEP team on a transition plan
• Applied for and enrolled in college
• Applied for services from the Alaska Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
• Got help from a Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselor
• Talked with a benefits planner at the Alaska WIPA Project
• Read DB101’s Youth section
• Used DB101’s School and Work Estimator
• Applied for SSI benefits at his local Social Security office
• Applied for APA benefits at his Division of Public Assistance (DPA) office
• Got a referral for a benefits analysis from his VR counselor as part of his Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) to make sure that a summer job would not cause problems with his SSI and APA benefits
• Learned about how the Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) let him work and keep his full SSI and APA benefits
• Got services and support from his university’s Disability Support Services office
• Applied for a summer job, and
• Took the summer job and earned his first paycheck.

The following two summers, Eric did paid internships at local software companies. Both summers, his earnings were lower than the limit set by the Student Earned Income Exclusion, so he had no problems with his benefits. He knew that in the long run, working would pay him a lot more than SSI would ever provide, so he was making sure to get good work experience that would help him get a solid job after graduation.