Improving Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach (BPAO) Services in Tribal Communities

People with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and are thinking about beginning or returning to employment may be unsure how to proceed without losing necessary supports and services.

The Social Security Administration has established a Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach Program (BPAO) to help Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities learn how employment will affect the benefits they receive.

The program uses specially-trained staff in independent living centers, vocational rehabilitation offices, rehabilitation centers, and other community-based agencies and organizations to assist Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities make effective use of the services and programs available to them and make better choices about the employment options available to them. More than half of these specialists are themselves people with disabilities. Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach program specialists can help beneficiaries who live on Indian reservations, in urban areas, or in Alaskan villages to enhance their ability to support themselves while keeping necessary supports and services. While each tribal community is different, the following suggestions may help improve Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach services in tribal communities.

The Right Way May Be a Different Way

The Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program of Mississippi's Band of Choctaw Indians hired a tribal member fluent in the Choctaw language to provide Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach services. On a reservation where Choctaw is the first language of ninety-percent of the residents, language fluency is important. This hiring came about when the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services recognized that reservation agencies might need to provide services in ways that were different from the rest of the state. They helped the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians obtain funding to hire and train a Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach specialist of their own. The tribal vocational rehabilitation program identified a Choctaw speaker from the reservation who could work effectively with the mass of details found in Social Security regulations. After attending required training and a field assignment, this Choctaw-speaking tribal member now provides Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach services out of the tribal vocational rehabilitation office.

Act Locally

One set of rules does not apply to all people with disabilities who live on reservations, or in Alaska villages and urban areas. Community agencies and organizations providing Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach services would benefit greatly from hiring BPAO specialists locally. People living on a particular reservation, for example, may have lived there all or most of their lives. They will be a familiar face to others and will know the surrounding community and its unique governing structure. A local Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach specialist naturally would have access to a network of community members, including health care workers and others, who could help acquaint other residents with what the BPAO program has to offer.

In addition, some American Indian people have resources or receive income that can affect their application for benefits, like SSI and Medicaid., as well as their transition to employment later. Resources or income might include Per Capita payments; gaming income; honoraria; royalties; military allotment; income from land leases and grazing rights and payments from Individual Indian Money Accounts (IIM). Types of income and resources differ from one reservation to another and would be best understood by a community member who is familiar with various sources of income.

Face-to-Face

Face-to-face communication is important for Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach specialists who are reaching out to potential clients living on reservations. People living on reservations do not always have phones, and even when they do, communication at a distance does not cultivate interest or trust. While access to e-mail service can be expected to expand in America's rural communities, including Indian reservations, it also can be expected to remain a less desirable or effective method of communication on reservations than it might be elsewhere. The convenience of using a telephone or computer cannot take the place of meeting with clients in person. Over time, face-to-face communication allows people to become acquainted and builds trust--both important considerations for BPAO specialists who are helping people with disabilities to develop the employment opportunities they want. Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach specialists who meet face-to-face with clients are also more likely to come across records, letters, or other documents that may be important in determining services. Cultivating trust, especially in small communities, requires that BPAO specialists remember the importance of confidentiality concerning any information disclosed to them.

Self-Empowered Consumers

Consumers, as well as providers, can help improve the effectiveness of the Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach services they receive. As consumers on reservations become familiar with the services and resources the BPAO program offers, they may wish to empower themselves with information. Part of this process is the building of a paper trail. When an important policy or service is explained by a BPAO specialist, consumers can ask for a copy of the policy for themselves. When applying for a particular benefit or service, consumers can keep copies of all paperwork submitted and bring copies with them to follow-up appointments. Reservation residents may wish to ask a trusted assistant, such as a family member, neighbor, or friend to help them with record keeping.

Before they meet with a BPAO specialist for the first time, consumers should compile a complete list of all their resources and all of the types of income they receive, including Per Capita payments; gaming income; honoraria; royalties; military allotment; Individual Indian Money Accounts (IIM); Veterans Administration (VA) benefits; income from grazing or lease of land; or any other current income How certain income and resources are viewed by state and federal benefit programs will differ from reservation to reservation. An accurate list is important because the type and amount of resources and income can affect a consumer's eligibility for benefits, and can even determine how or when the person will return to work. In cases where a consumer cannot remember every resource or source of income, a BPAO specialist can use a prepared checklist of resources and income that are common in that community to help the consumer remember.

Recognize Complexity

Social Security Administration rules are frequently complicated and may be difficult to understand. When consumers familiarize themselves with those specific policies that have the most potential to affect their lives, they can anticipate how a change, such as returning to work, might impact their situation. When BPAO specialists recognize the complexity of many policies and continue to seek training and education for themselves, they will increase their own expertise and background knowledge and be better able to help their clients.

BPAO providers may be found in each of the fifty States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Providers are listed on the Social Security website at http://www.ssa.gov/work/ServiceProviders/BPAODirectory.html .

Those with questions about the BPAO program may contact the nearest social security office or write to the Social Security Administration, Office of Employment Support Programs, 6401 Security Boulevard, 107 Altmeyer Building, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401.

Protection and Advocacy Program

A partner to Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach is the program known as Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS). While the BPAO program informs people about all the SSA work incentives and helps them plan the transition to work, the PABSS program exists to make sure individuals can make the transitions they want to make. They can provide beneficiaries of Social Security with information about vocational rehabilitation (VR) and other employment services, make referrals, offer advice, and provide technical assistance. PABSS providers will also advocate for beneficiaries or provide other related services that beneficiaries may need to begin or return to work. They will investigate complaints of improper and inadequate service from service providers, employers, or other parties involved in the beneficiary's effort to return to employment.

Providers and consumers of PABSS services may benefit from utilizing some of the same strategies as BPAO providers and consumers. PABSS providers may wish to recruit local expertise, maintain face-to-face communication, and provide services in ways that are appropriate to the surrounding community, such as communicating with clients in their first language whenever possible. Consumers of PABSS services may wish to empower themselves by maintaining a paper trail, an up-to-date list of all income and benefits received, and a journal or other record of their return to work.

PABSS providers may be found in each of the fifty States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and within the P&A system for Native Americans. Providers are listed on the Social Security website at http://www.ssa.gov/work/ServiceProviders/PADirectory.html

Those with questions about the PABSS program may contact the nearest social security office or write to the Social Security Administration, Office of Employment Support Programs, 6401 Security Boulevard, 107 Altmeyer Building, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401.

Social and Economic Self-Sufficiency

A community is self-sufficient when it can control and generate enough resources to provide for the needs of its residents and meet whatever economic and social goals it has set for itself. The biggest obstacle to self-sufficiency for Native American communities and families is social and economic underdevelopment (The Administration for Native Americans, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). When tribal members with disabilities who wish to work can do so while preserving their necessary supports and services, they may help to develop the reservation's economic base and enhance its social and economic well-being. BPAO and PABSS service providers on reservations, or in Alaskan villages and urban areas, can strengthen their efforts by recognizing that each tribal community presents different circumstances, strengths, opportunities, and challenges. This will encourage their clients in the community to focus on their own unique situation and to create the kind of employment opportunities they desire for themselves.

Resources and References

Administration for Native Americans, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, promotes the goal of social and economic self-sufficiency of American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Native American Pacific Islanders, including Native Samoans. Administration for Native Americans, Mail Stop 8090, West 370 L'Enfant Promenade, Washington, D.C. 20447-0002; 1-877-922-9262. http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ana/

Katz, M. (2002). Meeting the Challenges and Seizing the Opportunities in Indian Country. The Rural Exchange 15 (2), 13-15. Missoula: The University of Montana Rural Institute.

Katz, M. (2002) Work Impacts Benefits: A Quick Overview. The Rural Exchange 15 (1), 15-16. Missoula: The University of Montana Rural Institute.

Katz, M. (2003) Don't Hurt With Your Help: The Case for Benefits Analysis and Planning. The Rural Exchange 16 (1), 10-14. Missoula: The University of Montana Rural Institute.

Social Security Administration's American Indians and Alaska Natives website provides basic information and updates of programs administered by the SSA and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. It also provides information on how people can contact them, outreach efforts, and links to related federal programs. Social Security Administration, Office of Public Inquiries, Windsor Park Building, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235 http://www.ssa.gov/aian/