                THE PLAN TO ACHIEVE SELF-SUPPORT
                         by Sharon Gold

     Sharon Gold is the President of the National Federation of
the Blind of California. She is also extremely knowledgeable
about both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income
Programs. In 1991 she was appointed to the twenty-member team of
experts charged with conducting the Supplemental Security Income
Modernization Project. As the name implies, the team made
recommendations in a public report to the Social Security
Administration about how to update and improve the SSI Program.
The Plan to Achieve Self-support (PASS) is a benefit associated
with SSI. It is one of those procedures which seem so complicated
when they are described that many people who could benefit from
using them are afraid to try. However, studying the following
article should enable those who qualify to develop their own
Plans to Achieve Self-Support; here is what Sharon Gold has to
say about PASS: 

     One of the purposes of the National Federation of the Blind
is and always has been to reduce the unemployment among working-
age blind people. The NFB has always taken an active part in
shaping the Social Security laws to assure maximum opportunity
for blind recipients of all programs that fall within the control
of the Social Security Administration. This emphasis has included
appropriate increases in Social Security Disability Insurance
(SSDI) benefits for the blind and an assurance that blind people
who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits have the
best chance to work their way off SSI and become self-supporting.
This includes the exclusion of appropriate work expenses for the
blind and the establishment of the Plan to Achieve Self-Support
(PASS), a flexible approach to personal control and maintenance
and eventual freedom from dependence on public benefits.
     All Social Security benefits are governed by Title II of the
Social Security Act and the corresponding regulations found in
Part 404 of Title 20 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Although
Supplemental Security Income is administered by the Social
Security Administration, it should not be confused with Social
Security Benefits. SSI is governed by Title XVI of the Social
Security Act, and the regulations promulgated from this statute
are found in Part 416 of Title 20 of the Code of Federal
Regulations. 
     There are differences in the eligibility criteria and
continuing benefits following gainful employment for the various
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income Programs. For a
complete approach to Social Security and Supplemental Security
Income eligibility and post-employment benefits, including a
discussion of Substantial Gainful Activity under each program,
see the May, 1992, Braille Monitor article, "Benefit Rights for
Blind Individuals:  A Description of Social Security's Work
Incentive Provisions in the Disability Insurance and Supplemental
Security Income Programs," by James Gashel.
     Sometimes SSDI and SSI are confusing to people because both
programs are administered by the local Social Security Office but
are handled by claims representatives working for different
departments of the Social Security Administration. When applying
for Supplemental Security Income, people usually find that the
claims representative will make inquiries about their work
history. If the Claims Representative believes that the applicant
may be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits, he or
she will be referred to a different desk where another claims
representative will assist in the completion of an application
for Social Security benefits. This happens because Social
Security eligibility must be given priority over SSI eligibility.
     Once the Social Security Administration has determined the
applicant's eligibility under Social Security and has set a
payment schedule, the applicant may be eligible for Supplemental
Security Income payments as well, if the monthly Social Security
payments do not equal SSI benefit payments in the state in which
the applicant lives. Please note that in the case of a first-time
applicant there is a five-month delay from the date of
application to the date of eligibility to receive Social Security
Disability Insurance payments; and, if qualified, the applicant
may receive SSI benefits while waiting to receive his or her
Social Security benefits. 
     It is to the PASS applicant's benefit to have qualified for
and be receiving Social Security payments under Title II. The
PASS is one advantage that may be available to people who receive
Social Security benefits. A Plan to Achieve Self-Support can make
the applicant eligible for Supplemental Security Income or may
increase the applicant's eligibility for SSI by allowing the
exclusion of excess resources  and/or income in furtherance of a
pre-approved goal for self-support. An individual receiving SSI
benefits is not permitted to have more than $2,000 in cash
resources without a Plan to Achieve Self-Support. When the
otherwise countable income is excluded through the PASS, the SSI
benefit payments will be increased to the maximum payment level.
All excluded funds must be placed in a separate bank account, and
expenditure of these funds is limited to those itemized
expenditures set forth in the PASS. At no time should personal
money and PASS money be commingled in a single bank account, and
PASS money may never be borrowed or otherwise used to pay
personal expenses. 
     To apply for a PASS, a person must first identify a goal for
employment and the necessary education, training, and/or
specialized equipment to reach that goal. He or she must then
determine the income and/or resources to be excluded and later
expended under the PASS in order to reach the goal. The income
may be either earned or unearned and may be from part-time
employment; internships and fellowships; interest and dividends;
and/or loans used to purchase the equipment, payments for which
are made monthly, using money which has been excluded into the
PASS. 
     The next step in the PASS development process is to contact
educational institutions, training facilities, and equipment
vendors to determine the cost of the education and equipment
needed to complete the goal. A budget should be prepared
itemizing all of the income and resources to be excluded under
the PASS and all of the expenses to be paid under it. The PASS
can be written for eighteen months; renewed for eighteen months;
and, in the case of a student or individual in a training
program, extended for another twelve months. 
     In some instances, at the conclusion of the PASS it is
possible to establish a second PASS, if the individual's goal is
significantly different. For example, a student's first goal may
be to become employed in the field of political science, for
which a bachelor's degree in political science is a requirement.
At the attainment of the bachelor's degree and the conclusion of
the PASS, the student may decide to become employed as a lawyer,
for which graduation from law school is required. Thus a new PASS
may be written to include the expenses for law school.
     When preparing the PASS budget, the applicant should
multiply the monthly income by the number of months to be
included in the PASS (e.g., Social Security--eighteen months at
$300 equals $5,400; internship--twelve months at $200 equals
$2,400; total income equals $7,800). When completed, the budget
income must equal the budget expenses, which may include tuition,
books, supplies, computer equipment with special modifications
for the blind, printer and Braille embosser, child care, travel
expenses and living expenses away from home, acquisition of an
inventory if starting a business, bank charges for the PASS
account, and all other costs relevant to completing the goal. The
final item should be "Miscellaneous Expenses to Complete the
PASS" and should be an amount (usually less than $100.00) which
makes the income and expenses balance.
     The final steps in the PASS preparation process are to open
a bank account specifically for the PASS and to write a letter to
the local Social Security Office which clearly states the goal,
outlines the steps to be taken to achieve the goal, and defines
the beginning date of the PASS and the amount of time necessary
to complete it. The letter, together with the PASS budget, should
be submitted to the local Social Security Office for approval,
which should take about thirty days. If more than thirty days
pass without hearing from the Social Security Office, an inquiry
should be made as to the status of the PASS.
     An individual may prepare his or her own PASS or ask the
Social Security Administration for help in writing it. Advocacy
organizations such as the National Federation of the Blind may be
of assistance. Some rehabilitation counselors can help, although
many have little or no experience with the PASS. It is not
necessary to be a rehabilitation client in order to qualify for a
PASS, and it is not necessary for a rehabilitation counselor to
approve the goal of the PASS. A PASS can be approved and accepted
only by the Social Security Administration, and an applicant may
expect that any reasonable goal will be approved.
     In order to maintain a PASS, accurate accounting is neces-
sary. All canceled checks and receipts must be saved to submit to
the Social Security Office, if requested during the PASS period
or at the conclusion or renewal of the PASS. Maintaining a PASS
is not difficult; however, failure to keep accurate records and
receipts may result in termination of the PASS and an inevitable
SSI overpayment.
     The Plan to Achieve Self-Support is perhaps the least used
of the work incentives under the Supplemental Security Income
Program. The PASS offers people a flexible self-help approach to
becoming self-supporting. Therefore, it is to a person's benefit
to learn as much as possible about the PASS and to put it to best
use. The Social Security Administration has prepared a booklet
that may be of help in developing a PASS. The booklet is entitled
"Working While Disabled--A Guide to Plans for Achieving Self-
Support While Receiving Supplemental Security Income." This
booklet includes some simple examples of PASS plans and an
application form for completing a PASS. It should be noted that
the application form is not necessary because the letter and
budget described in this article are sufficient. Here are samples
of both: 

                         SAMPLE LETTER 

Charley Repson, Claims Representative
Social Security Administration
1993 Security Way
Anytown, USA 00000

                                              RE: SSN 000-00-0000

Dear  Mr. Repson:
     By this letter and enclosed documents, I am applying for a
Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) effective June, 1993.
     I am a senior at Undergraduate  University, where I am en-
rolled in the Liberal Studies Program and expect to receive a
Bachelor of Arts Degree in June, 1994. Thereafter, I plan to
enter the School of Education and obtain the teaching credentials
necessary to fulfill my goal of employment as a special education
teacher. 
     To complete my goal of becoming a teacher in the public
schools, I will need a computer and printer and specialized
screen reading equipment and software for the blind as well as a
Braille note-taking device. I will also need a Braille embosser
and related software and an optical character reader to download
teacher's manuals into my computer to transcribe them into
Braille for use in my classroom. I will need to buy books and
supplies for my classes and to have a special tape recorder for
recording and reading cassette books. I will need to pay for
university tuition, readers and drivers, and professional
seminars and conferences. 
     I understand that the income and/or resources excluded under
this PASS are to be used only for the purposes specified, and I
agree to report any changes in this plan and/or my performance
thereunder promptly to the Social Security Administration. I
agree to keep records of all expenditures made under the PASS and
to keep excluded income and resources separate from my other
assets. I have opened a checking account #123456789 at State
Bank, 1234 5th Street, Banktown, USA.
     Thank you for your attention to this Plan to Achieve Self-
Support. If you need additional information or have further
questions, please contact me or my representative, Annie Advocate
of the National Federation of the Blind, who assisted in the
preparation of this PASS.

                                                       Sincerely,
                                                    Sally Student

                          SAMPLE BUDGET

                 PLAN FOR ACHIEVING SELF-SUPPORT
                    Income and Disbursements

Income to be Excluded Under the PASS
Social Security (36 months at $491) $17,676.00
Financial Aid, Grants, and Scholarships $7,000.00
TOTAL $24,676.00

Expenses Under the PASS
Computer and Related Equipment
     PC Computer with hard drive $2,500.00
     Modem and Software $200.00     
     Symphonics Speech Synthesizer $500.00
     Portable Computer w/Speech $2,595.00
Total $5,795.00
Computer Software
     WordPerfect $250.00
     Artic ENCORE $150.00
     Upgrade Business Vision $75.00
     Braille Translation Software $300.00
Total $775.00
Laserjet Printer $2,000.00
Braille Devices
     Braille Blazer (Braille Embosser) $1,700.00
     Braille 'n Speak $1,095.00
     Braille 'n Speak Disk Drive $500.00
     Service Contracts (Braille 'n Speak, Disk Drive, Braille
          Blazer) $900.00
Total $4,195.00
Arkenstone Open Book/Unbound w/sheet feeder $3,995.00
Handi-Cassette Recorder (for blind) $130.00
Tuition $2,500.00
Student Fees, Professional Dues, and Publications $500.00
Books, manuals, and supplies $1,200.00
Readers/Drivers $1,000.00
Conferences and Professional Seminars $2,500.00
Miscellaneous Expenses to Complete the PASS $86.00
TOTAL $24,676.00 

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